By Andrea Moreno,EXPONOR General Manager.
Over 50% of the total investment made by Canada in Chile is in the mining sector, and the Antofagasta Region is the area where its investors and companies most operate. Significantly, this "North American" giant stands out for its global participation as a producer and exporter of minerals and metals, and also for how oil and natural gas have positively impacted the development of its economy.
In fact, in November 2024, Canada exported C$ 60.5 million to the world and imported C$ 59.5 million, resulting in a positive trade balance of C$ 973,000 , according to information from oec.world, so its presence at EXPONOR 2026, from June 8 to 11, will be a great opportunity to generate strategic alliances and potential business with supplier companies, especially in our area of the country.
In this regard, within the framework of the latest version of the PDAC 2025, the world's largest mining convention, which was held in Toronto, the Minister of Mining, Aurora Williams, announced that Canada will be the guest country at our Exhibition, and emphasized the opportunities that this will provide.
In line with the words of the Secretary of State and the Canadian ambassador to Chile, this is the faithful reflection of years of collaboration that are now the basis for the development of alliances between Canadian and Chilean suppliers within the framework of Exponor 2026, which is why we enthusiastically applaud this news.
We also share similar visions regarding the importance of female inclusion in the mining and energy industry. In fact, at EXPONOR we have highlighted the participation of women since the formation of our organising committee. Recognising the impact that the participation of our gender has had as a complement to efforts in inclusion, innovation and sustainability in the mining-energy sector is a fundamental part in planning actions prior to and during the exhibition.
Moreover, in the 2024 edition of the exhibition, the third version of the Female Talent programme was held, co-organized with RedEg. Today, in planning EXPONOR 2026, we will continue to strengthen inclusion as a concrete action that allows us to advance in terms of industry competitiveness, in favour of a more sustainable industry with a better quality of life for families, a vision shared by Canada.
For these and other reasons, we are excited to have selected Canada as the guest of honour for next year's edition of EXPONOR. It should be noted that this country has been involved in Exponor since it began, and continues to be among the five largest international delegations, participating together with a large number of mining supplier companies that placed special emphasis on Chile, paving the way for commercial networks between both nations.
