Québec’s mining industry: A key driving force for economic development
By Josée Méthot, President and CEO, Québec Mining Association
T
he historical rise in the price of gold, which reached over $2,000 USD per ounce in August, has compensated for some of the losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as strong prices for
2018, the number of female employees increased by 501 (+36 per cent), from 1,398 to 1,899. They now hold 13 per cent of the direct jobs in the industry. The mining sector has also become more attractive to Aboriginal workers over the same period.
iron ore. With high-quality projects, experienced managers,
Although these results are admirable, an ongoing effort must
and clear indications from the Québec government that it
be made to attract more people from both groups, since they
intends to reduce delays in the project authorization process,
constitute an important part of the workforce that will be
everything seems to be in place for more investment, allowing
needed in the future.
the mining industry to generate even more benefits for Québec. Since 2016, the Québec Mining Association (QMA) has published a study of the economic benefits generated by the
Unsurprisingly, mining companies also support an extensive network of suppliers, which total more than 3,800, based in all regions but mainly in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (1,210), Montréal (686), and Montérégie (435).
province’s mining industry. The results released in 2020 show,
The study also answers a frequently-raised question: how
once again, the enormous contribution the industry makes to
much money do governments receive from mineral resource
the mining regions, and also, significantly, to the major urban
development? It shows that over $1.3 billion was paid to the
centres. This is a reminder that regions such as Montréal and
Québec government alone in 2018, without including corporate
Montérégie have far closer ties to the mining industry than at
income tax, while the Canadian government received over
first appears.
$500 million.
The data used, although based on activities in 2018, is the
Each time we publish the results from the survey of
most recent available and the most representative of the
economic benefits generated by the mining industry in Québec,
mining industry’s contribution to Québec’s socio-economic
we cannot help but feel a sense of pride. We are proud, of
development.
course, to be making a significant contribution to Québec’s
Overall, mining companies spent almost $10 billion in
economic development—but we are also proud to see that the
Québec through extraction, exploration, and investment
benefits are spread throughout Québec, rather than just in the
expenditure. The Abitibi-Témiscamingue region received the
mining regions, and also, significantly, to note that the mining
largest share, with $3.45 billion, followed by the Côte-Nord
industry contributes to the wellbeing of the population as a
region with $2.16 billion, and Montréal with $1.17 billion.
whole by paying over a billion dollars each year to the Québec
All of this spending supported 48,006 jobs, including almost 17,000 direct jobs, 21,350 indirect jobs, and just over 9,700
government. Thanks to the resilience of the mining industry’s workers and
induced jobs. It is important to mention that the average
their ability to innovate, we have been able to return quickly
annual salary in the industry was almost $104,000, substantially
to the level of activity that prevailed before the COVID-19
higher than the average estimated Québec salary of $64,000.
pandemic. However, it will be interesting to see the impact of
Another finding in the study is that mining companies
the crisis, in particular on employment and expenditure, when
employ an increasing number of women. Between 2014 and
the next study of economic benefits is completed for 2020. u
8 Revue minière du Québec