Critical Minerals Supply Chain has a name: The Mining Supply and Services (MSS) Sector
Recently, I had the pleasure of presenting at the 51st Annual Exploration, Mining and Petroleum Conference (EMP 2026), held October 25–27 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. A big thank you to the organizers for record attendance and an excellent program!
My presentation focused on a message that deserves greater attention: Canada’s critical minerals ambitions will only become a reality if we recognize and support the entire mining ecosystem — particularly the often-overlooked Mining Supply and Services (MSS) sector.
The MSS sector is the hidden engine of mining. Thousands of predominantly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) provide the products, technologies, expertise, and services needed to explore, discover, develop, build, operate, process, and ship our mineral resources.
Yet their economic contribution and strategic importance are often overlooked in government policy and industry discussions.
This is a significant blind spot in Canada’s critical minerals narrative. We hear about “mines to magnets” and “mines to mills to lines,” but where is the MSS sector in that conversation? These businesses must be part of the strategy.
The MSS sector is much bigger than many realize. A while back, MSTA CANADA’s work in Ontario conservatively estimated that for every direct employee in a mining company, there are approximately 2.5 employees in the MSS sector and that it matches the GDP contribution of direct mining.
These companies are also an important export opportunity. Canada’s reputation for quality, reliability, safety, and ethical business practices gives our suppliers a competitive advantage globally.
If we are serious about accelerating projects, doubling exports into non-US markets, and building economic resilience, we must ensure these companies have the capacity to meet demand.
We cannot assume the MSS sector will simply be there when we need it. That assumption is dangerous and could have significant inflationary consequences for future projects.
What these businesses need is growth capital to build capacity and stronger export support to diversify markets and reduce risk — not simply another innovation program. A growing company will innovate. We have had that equation backwards for far too long.
My closing message was simple: If we want to unlock New Brunswick’s potential and achieve Canada’s critical minerals ambitions, we must support the entire mining ecosystem.
Without the MSS sector, mines don’t get discovered or built, minerals don’t get produced, and the broader economic benefits don’t materialize.
Let’s make sure we get this right.
