Pan-Canadian Geoscience Strategy: Enhancing Data, Knowledge and Access for a Stronger Future

February 3, 2022                                       Ottawa, Ontario                                 Natural Resources Canada

Mining will play a critical role in getting the world to net-zero emissions by 2050, and Canada’s mining industry is prepared to play a leading role. Canada has the resources and expertise needed to provide the world with materials for the clean technologies that will reduce emissions and drive economic growth in Canada and around the world.

Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, endorsed the Pan-Canadian Geoscience Strategy, outlining Canada’s intention to produce world-leading geoscience to meet growing global demand for responsibly sourced minerals and metals. Accessible geoscience data can help lower exploration costs, inform evidence-based land use decisions and support geo-hazard risk management and climate change mitigation — resulting in a more competitive minerals and metals sector and serving the public good.

Developed by federal, provincial and territorial geological survey organizations across Canada, the Pan-Canadian Geoscience Strategy represents a renewed commitment to improving collaboration and the availability and accessibility of public geoscience data and knowledge.

The Strategy identifies five priority areas:

• advancing framework geoscience
• advancing information on mineral and energy potential
• facilitating access to online geoscience data
• supporting the training of geoscientists
• enhancing public literacy in geoscience

The priority areas seek to increase the impact of geoscience by supporting robust science and data, developing skilled scientists, and growing exploration and collaboration, all of which will support Canada’s critical minerals strategy that is currently under development.

The Pan-Canadian Geoscience Strategy can be viewed online at www.geologicalsurveys.ca/pan-canadian-geoscience-strategy.