Canada is going to focus on increased zinc production
The metal is used in many hygiene articles needed during the current pandemic.
Frank LehmannSeptember 17, 2026
Zinc is an important part of disinfectants like soap, so it plays an important role in preventing the spread of COVID-19. As we know, the two pillars of COVID-19 prevention are social distancing and proper hand washing. Therefore, mining this bluish-white metal is important to Canada's strategy to fight the pandemic at home. In addition to soap, zinc is also used to galvanize steel to protect it from corrosion. And zinc is an essential element for our health as over 200 enzymes in the human body require zinc to function. Canada is a major zinc producer and was once the world's largest supplier of zinc. Zinc mines are located in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Nunavut. One could almost ask where no zinc is produced in Canada. However, with almost 34 percent of total global production, China is by far the largest zinc producer today. In 2019, China produced about 4.3 million tons of zinc. By 2018 Canada had fallen to ninth place in world production with around 2.2 percent of world production. The largest zinc production facility in the world is a zinc-lead-silver open pit mine in Alaska, which alone accounts for 4.2 percent of global production. The total global reserves - as of February 2020 - are estimated at 250 million tons. However, experts assume that with the current high zinc consumption, the reserves will probably only last for 17 years. Australia has the largest zinc reserves with around 68 million tons. Other significant reserves are located in China, Peru and Mexico. Canada has bilateral diplomatic and trade relations with China. But the mounting evidence that China was not transparent about the roots of the COVID-19 pandemic could turn the world against them. The leader of the New Conservative Party of Canada, Erin O'Toole, has been aggressive and bellicose in his rhetoric towards China since the beginning of the pandemic. And the liberal government has started to distance itself from China. If past behavior indicates this, and particularly in its economic ties with the United States, the world knows that China has the ability to retaliate if other countries fail to follow suit. In 2010, China restricted exports of rare earth elements to Japan due to a diplomatic dispute, which led to a sharp rise in prices. In view of the importance of these metals for many consumer goods, this led to turbulence on the world markets. In this case Canada was also an important producer of rare earth elements, but was demoted to exporting unrefined ore to China. Although world trade should be based on a price-based system of adequate market signals, China often manipulates global markets for its strategic interests. Other countries are doing this too, but China is big enough to do it with great effect. For decades, the Chinese government has been buying up production and supply chains around the world for these rare earths used in cell phones and electric cars, as well as advanced military hardware, to serve their strategic interests. While zinc is not as strategically important as the rare earth metals, Canada should secure its domestic supplies so as not to suffer from trade sanctions from China or other major players. Just as the domestic supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Canada has become a matter of great concern as the pandemic grew, it would be wise to ensure our country has a supply of metal that is used in disinfectants such as soap. Canada could also work with Australia and other allies with reliable zinc reserves to ensure that the global system has a reliable supply of zinc based on proper market and price-based considerations, rather than the risk of a nation manipulating global markets. Canada needs a national mining strategy that takes this into account.
