Northern Canada

Opportunities as Massive as the Arctic

Three distinct territories make up Canada’s North, each with a unique history, government institutions, economic base and future prospects:

• Northwest Territories
• Nunavut
• Yukon Territory

From the dancing northern lights of the amazing aurora borealis to traditional Aboriginal northern dancers, the top half of Canada is a place of history, mystery and excitement. Contemporary Northern Canadians continue to capitalize on the wealth of rich resources offered by the massive northern landmass and three oceans that make up the world’s longest coastline.

Canada’s North offers investments opportunities as vast and varied as the landscape—ranging from diamond mines to oil and gas, adventure- and eco-tourism, fashion, commercial fishing and Arctic shipping.

Investment Advantages

• Over $100 billion in investment is planned for a range of projects in the North:
  • Diamond mines in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut
  • Ongoing uranium exploration in Nunavut and Labrador
  • Mackenzie Gas Project in the Northwest Territories
  • Alaska Highway Pipeline Project in the Yukon
• Investment in these projects alone represents a significant share of Canada's total capital investment
• Provincial and territorial initiatives are in place to stimulate further northern mineral exploration and expansion, such as Nunavut’s Mineral Exploration and Mining Strategy and mining incentive programs in the Yukon
• Development of the northern tourism industry presents exciting opportunities to market distinct tourism products ranging from adventure travel to hunting excursions, aurora viewing to Aboriginal culture experiences, as well as a myriad of outdoor tourism activities

Key Advantages

• Economic activity in the North generates billions of dollars in export earnings and government revenues, provides significant employment for northern residents, and supports a great deal of value-added activity outside the region
• Huge areas of Canada’s North lie beneath the shallow seas of the Arctic continental shelf and within the Arctic archipelago, harbouring untapped resources that hold promise for the region’s future
• Northern Canada is the site of one quarter of Canada’s remaining discovered petroleum and one half of the country's estimated potential
• Mining, forestry, and the oil and gas industry continue to be the primary economic drivers in the North, with hydroelectric, manufacturing, tourism, commercial fishing, agriculture, and traditional resource harvesting industries also making important contributions to the economy
• The North already makes a significant contribution to Canada's economy, which will continue to increase with the expansion and diversification of all sectors in the northern economy

Major Cities

• Iqaluit
• Yellowknife
• Whitehorse

Priority Economic Sectors

International Industry Leaders