Action Plan 2020: Fall Update

Update to Action Plan 2020

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Implementing the CMMP

In 2019 the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (CMMP) was launched – a Plan with an ambitious vision and targets that will drive Canadian mining to the forefront.

To achieve the goal of being the leading mining nation, the mining industry must remain adaptable and responsive. A series of Action Plans will be released that will operationalize the CMMP and provide governments, industry and others an opportunity to reflect on successes and respond to emerging opportunities. The Action Plans will also offer Canadian jurisdictions the opportunity to highlight investment opportunities, build community support for good, sustainable projects, and inform stakeholders and new and existing initiatives across a range of mining-related subjects.

The next action plans will be released in 2021 and 2022, respectively, with subsequent ones following every three years thereafter. Together, these Action Plans pursue the vision that Canada is the leading mining nation.

For additional information on current initiatives identified in the Preliminary Version of Action Plan 2020, please see the Action Plan Annexes.

Download the Preliminary Version Action Plan (PDF, 14.6 MB)

Download the Action Plan Update (PDF, 4.3 MB)

What is the Action Plan?

In 2018 and 2019, Canada's Mines Ministers held the most significant national conversation on mining since the Whitehorse Mining Initiative in 1994. The CMMP, released in March 2019, was the result of extensive engagement with Indigenous Peoples, industry, academia, non-governmental organizations, youth and Canadians. The CMMP is an ambitious generational initiative to drive a competitive, sustainable and responsible minerals and metals industry.

A series of Action Plans will help pursue the vision of Canada as home to a competitive, sustainable and responsible minerals industry that benefits all Canadians. As the first in a series, the Preliminary Version of Action Plan 2020, was released in March 2020 and introduced signature pan-Canadian initiatives that drive towards the targets set out in the CMMP's six Strategic Directions. It also highlighted commitments and investments specific to federal, provincial and territorial governments, industry, and others that are helping to affirm Canada's position as a global mining powerhouse.

Canada's Mines Ministers committed to an update to Action Plan 2020 at the Energy and Mines Ministers' Conference (EMMC).

The Update to Action Plan 2020 takes into consideration the short, medium and long-term targets and initiatives taken by governments and industry to support economic recovery post-COVID. It demonstrates early progress on the six pan-Canadian initiatives outlined in the Preliminary Version of Action Plan 2020, and identifies two new collaborative initiatives that will drive towards the vision of being the leading mining nation.

COVID-19 and the CMMP

After the launch of Action Plan 2020, COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. To slow the spread of the coronavirus and ensure the health and safety of employees and communities, many mining operations in Canada and across the globe slowed or shuttered operations. The mining ecosystem, supply chains, and the broader global industry were deeply impacted.

Mining companies were quick to implement measures to assure the health and safety of their workforce and the often remote, rural and Indigenous communities situated close to mine sites. The industry also pivoted quickly to donate life-saving personal protective equipment, food and other supplies to front line workers, food banks, local health institutions and communities.

Mining will play a significant role in Canada's economic recovery, and the CMMP has created a strong foundation for growth and recovery. Canada's Mines Ministers, the Chambers of Commerce, mining associations and others have called for the CMMP to be the primary vehicle to advance federal, provincial and territorial collaborative work to improve industry competitiveness and drive economic recovery post-COVID.