Green Mining or Green Washing? Corporate Social Responsibility and the mining sector in Canada

Canada is a global player in the mining sector as a leading producer of commodities like potash, iron ore, coal, uranium, nickel, copper, gold and diamonds. The sector makes up a significant portion of the Canadian stock market and enjoys a prominent place in political realms at local, regional and national levels. While some local communities are largely dependent on the industry, mining makes up less than 3% of Canadian GDP (including metal processing and preliminary fabrication).

The domestic economic contribution of the industry is often over-stated by proponents and governments that selectively use statistics. Internationally Canada also plays an important role as home to many of the world’s junior exploration companies and a few top tier global mining companies, and as the centre of financing for venture capital used to fund mineral exploration (read more).