AME launches national campaign for mineral exploration

The Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) launched Minerals for Tomorrow, a national public-engagement campaign highlighting the role mineral exploration plays in Canada’s economic security, defence, the energy transition, technological competitiveness and national sovereignty. The campaign premiered at the opening ceremony of the recent AME Roundup conference.

AME said the campaign responds to growing pressure on Canada to build more housing, infrastructure, clean-energy systems and defence capacity, all of which depend on a secure domestic supply of minerals. AME also cited the critical minerals strategy referenced in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent World Economic Forum speech, which frames minerals as a matter of economic security and national sovereignty.

"Canada is at a crossroads. The technologies and infrastructure we rely on every day -- from clean energy and healthcare to housing and national defence -- all begin with mineral exploration. Without exploration, there are no future mines. And without future mines, Canada becomes more dependent, more expensive, and more vulnerable," AME President and CEO Todd Stone said.

AME described Minerals for Tomorrow as positioning mineral exploration as the research-and-development engine of the resource economy, driven by prospectors, geologists, Indigenous partners, entrepreneurs and technologists who take early-stage risks. The campaign links early-stage exploration to long-term outcomes such as jobs, resilient communities, secure supply chains and economic independence.

AME noted that British Columbia hosts 19 of Canada’s 34 critical minerals and called the province a global hub for mineral discovery and exploration technology. The association said declining investment, rising regulatory uncertainty and restricted land access threaten the future pipeline of discoveries the country will need.

The campaign calls for improved permitting certainty, protection of access to land for early-stage exploration, formal recognition of exploration as a strategic national priority, strengthened partnerships with Indigenous communities and increased public understanding of the origins of materials used in modern life.

"Junior mining companies assume the earliest and highest-risk stages of mineral exploration, often years before a project even has a name or a defined development pathway, and those early discoveries are what sustain the broader mining pipeline. When early-stage exploration slows, future mine development is inevitably delayed. Minerals for Tomorrow recognizes that Canada's critical-minerals objectives cannot be achieved without a strong and supported junior exploration sector," said Malcolm Dorsey, president, CEO and director of Torr Metals, said.

AME said the campaign will include a dedicated website, original storytelling, educational resources and public-facing explainers that emphasize the role of mineral exploration in securing Canada’s future.

More information can be obtained at www.MineralsForTomorrow.ca