Updated September 30, 2004

Primary industries

	Farming in Saskatchewan Photo: Comstock

For centuries, Canadians have prospered by reaping the abundance of the land. Over time, our natural treasures enticed Canadians and immigrants west, east and north, establishing critical cultural and transportation links with the more remote locations of the country and helping nurture Canadian industry. Our primary industries—agriculture, fishing and trapping, mining, fuel and energy, and logging and forestry—soon became the industrial backbone of the country, supporting a population that has doubled and an economy that has increased sevenfold in the last 50 years alone. As the overall Canadian economy has matured, the economic importance of Canada's primary industries has declined. By 2002, the primary industries combined generated just under 6% of Canada’s gross domestic product(GDP, the value of all goods and services produced in Canada).

But the contributions of our primary industries are not merely economic. In addition to providing the foundations and resources for Canada's manufacturing and heavy industries, those working the earth play an intricate role in our daily lives. Our farmers and fishers put food on our tables. Our miners and oil workers help get us to work in the morning. And our loggers help put newspapers in our hands and roofs over our heads. Moreover, the primary industries help to sustain some of the communities in Canada's rural areas and hinterlands.