The main elements that compose common commodites escavated in Canada are listed in Table 3. These 44 elements are highlighted on the periodic table below. The purpose of this is list is to provide a perspective on the elements Canada produces, many of which are contained within different minerals. Some elements, such as Manganese, could be contained in minerals in minor quantities and are not highlighted. The main elements as listed based on the categories of the periodic table are as follows:

• Alkali Metals: Hydrogen, Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium and Cesium
• Alkaline Earth Metals: Magnesium, Calcium and Barium
• Transition Metals: Titanium, Iron, Cobalt, Nickel, Copper, Zinc, Zirconium, Niobium, Molybdenum, Lead, Silver, Cadmium, Tantalum, Tungsten, Platinum and Gold
• Basic Metals: Aluminum, Gallium, Indium, Tin, Thallium, Lead and Bismuth
• Other Nonmetals: Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Selenium
• Halogens: Fluorine, Chlorine
• Noble Gases: Helium

Canada may have mineable quantities of certain elements that do not show up on the list. One example would be arsenic which is naturally occurring in many deposits in Canada. Instead, it is a waste element that is monitored in waters, to ensure that the concentration discharged to the environment is below maximum acceptable concentrations.

Technology improvements over time have changed the consumption markets of resources, and this directly has impacts on the need to produce certain elements. Asbestos mining in Canada was significant in the 1950’s through 1970’s but then sharply declined as it became known that ingesting the fibres could cause cancer. The McKinsey Global Institute (2017) published a report called “Beyond the Supercycle: How Technology is Reshaping Resources”, which describes supply and demand in the resource sector. They wrote that “rapid advances in automation technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, analytics, and the Internet of Things are beginning to transform the way resources are produced and consumed.”  The Canadian Government has been consulting on a ‘Canada’s critical minerals strategy” from June 14 to September 15, 2022 and the discussion paper can be accessed  at this link.  31  minerals are identified in Appendix B of that document.

Figure 9. Periodic table of elements mined in the 21st Century in Canada. Crosshatching indicates that it is mined.

Table 3. Approximate elemental composition of commodities