The Bank of Canada Governing Council met on Wednesday (December 10) for the final rate-setting meeting of 2025 and decided to hold its benchmark rate at 2.25 percent. Analysts had widely expected the central bank to maintain the rate and anticipate it remaining unchanged through the start of 2026.
The decision came after Statistics Canada’s jobs report, released December 5, showed that Canada’s labor force remained resilient through November, with 54,000 new jobs and the unemployment rate dropping 0.4 percentage points to 6.5 percent.
Additionally, the BoC noted that Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 2.6 percent during the third quarter despite domestic demand remaining flat. Looking ahead, it expects fourth-quarter GDP to be weak as exports decline, but anticipates growth to pick up in 2026.
The council suggested that the 2.25 percent rate was the right level to keep inflation near 2 percent while providing enough support for the economy amid uncertainty from US trade policy.
South of the Border, the US Federal Reserve also held its final rate-setting meeting of the year on Tuesday (December 9) and Wednesday. It chose to go in a different direction, lowering its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to the 3.5 to 3.75 percent range.
However, in his statements, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell hinted that the committee may pause some future rate cuts as it takes time to parse data and analyze the effects of the three rate cuts on the US economy.
Powell also stated that there was concern that the Bureau of Labor Statistics may be significantly overestimating the number of jobs created within the US economy by about 60,000 jobs per month, meaning it could actually be losing an average of 20,000 per month.
Due to the government shutdown, the BLS didn’t release September’s jobs report until November 20, which showed growth of 119,000 employees. The agency also noted that it wouldn’t be releasing October’s numbers and would roll them into November’s report, which was delayed until December 16.
A report from human resources firm ADP showed that private employment in November declined by 32,000 jobs, noting that employers have been cautious amid economic uncertainty and cautious consumers.
For more on what’s moving markets this week, check out our top market news round-up.
Markets and commodities react
Canadian equity markets saw mixed gains this week.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) was little changed, gaining just 0.1 percent over the week to close Friday at 31,527.39 and the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) was also flat rising 0.17 percent to 954.61.
On the other hand, the CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) spiked 15.63 percent to close at 180.36 alongside a surge in cannabis stocks on Friday after it was reported that the White House was planning to reschedule cannabis this coming Monday (December 15).
The gold price reacted positively to the Fed’s rate cut gaining 2.44 percent on the week with the biggest gains coming at the end of the week, to reach US$4,299.86 per ounce on Friday at 4 p.m. EST.
Meanwhile, the silver price continued soaring with a substantial weekly gain of 6.12 percent, setting a new all time high of US$64.65 per ounce in morning trading on Friday before slipping to end the day at US$61.95.
In base metals, the COMEX copper price ended the week down 1.46 percent at US$5.37 per pound.
The S&P Goldman Sachs Commodities Index (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) fell 2.63 percent to end Friday at 545.47.
Top Canadian mining stocks this week
How did mining stocks perform against this backdrop?
Take a look at this week’s five best-performing Canadian mining stocks below.
Stocks data for this article was retrieved at 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX, TSXV and CSE with market caps greater than C$10 million are included. Mineral companies within the non-energy minerals, energy minerals, process industry and producer manufacturing sectors were considered.
1. Sirios Resources (TSXV:SOI)
Weekly gain: 120 percent
Market cap: C$48.26 million
Share price: C$0.165
Sirios Resources is a gold exploration company advancing a portfolio of projects in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Québec, Canada.
The company’s Aquilon property covers 7,100 hectares and hosts over 30 gold showings. It’s the subject of a December 2022 earn-in agreement that could see Sumitomo Metal and Mining earn up to an 80 percent interest through exploration commitments and cash payments totaling C$14.8 million.
On December 4, Sirios released assay results from a 13 hole, 5,420 meter drill program carried out at Aquilon during the summer targeting an underexplored area west of historic showings. Highlights from the program included one hole with 2.55 grams per metric ton (g/t) of gold over 4.8 meters, which included an interval of 10.3 g/t over 1 meter.
Sumitomo funded the program and pushes its exploration investments beyond the C$4.8 million commitment needed to earn a 51 percent stake in the project.
Sirios also owns the 15,700 hectare Cheechoo project, which hosts the namesake deposit. A mineral resource estimate included in an August 2025 technical report demonstrated a total indicated resource of 1.26 million ounces of gold with an average grade of 1.12 g/t from 34.99 metric tons of ore, with an additional inferred resource of 1.67 million ounces with an average grade of 1.23 g/t from 42.72 million metric tons.
On Thursday (December 11), Sirios announced it entered into an arrangement to acquire private company OVI Mining, which was recently spun-out of Electric Elements Mining, a subsidiary of Osisko Development (TSXV:ODV) and O3 Mining.
The two will merge to create a Québec-focused gold company with a district-scale land package centred on the Cheechoo deposit and supported by OVI’s Corvet Est and PLEX projects.
Jean-Felix Lepage, former Vice President of Project Development at O3 Mining, will become the CEO of the combined company. The deal is also backed by Osisko, whose CEO Sean Roosen and Vice President of Strategic Development Laurence Farmer will join the board upon the closing of the deal.
Sirios Founder and CEO Dominique Doucet said, “By integrating their experience as industry leaders in corporate finance and mine development with our deep knowledge of geology and exploration, we will work diligently towards advancing our flagship Cheechoo deposit into gold production.”
2. Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas (TSXV:EOG,OTC Pink:ECAOF)
Weekly gain: 78.38 percent
Market cap: C$99.3 million
Share price: C$0.33
Eco Atlantic is an oil and gas exploration company focused on a portfolio of offshore assets in the Atlantic Ocean.
Its holdings include a 100 percent interest in the Orinduik block and a 1.3 percent interest in ExxonMobil’s Canje Block off the coast of Guyana; an 85 percent working interest in PEL 97, 99 and 100 in the Wavis basin off the coast of Namibia; and, off the coast of South Africa, a 75 percent working interest in Block 1 and a 5.25 percent interest in Block 3B/4B.
The most recent news from Eco came on December 4, when it entered into a farm-in agreement with Navitas Petroleum.
Under the terms of the deal, Navita will pay US$2 million up front for the exclusive options to earn an 80 percent interest in the Orinduik block for an additional US$2.5 million payment, and a 47.5 percent interest in Block 1 in South Africa for an additional US$4 million. If Navita exercises the agreements, it will become the operator of the assets as well.
3. Karnalyte Resources (TSX:KRN)
Weekly gain: 65.63 percent
Market cap: C$11.72 million
Share price: C$0.265
Karnalyte Resources is an exploration and development company advancing its Wynyard potash project in Central Saskatchewan, Canada.
The property consists of three primary mineral leases covering 367 square kilometers east of Saskatoon.
Shares in Karnalyte have been climbing since it released an updated feasibility study for the project on November 26. The study demonstrated economic viability, according to Karnalyte, with an after-tax net present value of C$2.04 billion, an internal rate of return of 12.5 percent, a payback period of 8.8 years, and a mine life of 70 years.
The company also stated that development would benefit from a secured offtake agreement under which India-based GFSC would purchase 350,000 metric tons per year during Phase 1, with additional commitments for 250,000 metric tons per year after Phase 2 is complete.
4. PJX Resources (TSXV:PJX)
Weekly gain: 82.35 percent
Market cap: C$26.17 million
Share price: C$0.155
PJX Resources is an exploration company focused on gold, silver and base metal properties in British Columbia, Canada.
The company has largely been exploring claims around Cranbrook, in the southeast portion of the province. PJX has been focused on the Cranbrook area due to the co-existence of a significant base metals deposit with untapped gold potential.
The region is home to the historic Sullivan mine, which produced most of the region’s production of over 285 million ounces of silver, 8.5 million metric tons of lead and 8 million metric tons of zinc.
Additionally, the company states that the region may be responsible for more than 1.5 million ounces of historic placer gold production, but significant gold deposits have not yet been discovered.
In total, the company has amassed a land claim of over 50,000 hectares in the region, centered around these historic claim sites.
On Thursday, PJX announced that it had discovered a large sedimentary exhalative mineralized system at its Dewdney Trail property. The company said that recent drilling intersected 63 meters of anomalous mineralization in the Quake zone, including zinc, lead, silver and other critical metals, and that it bears similarities to bands of mineralization from the Sullivan mine.
Additionally, the company said that exploration discovered boulders 800 meters south along strike from the drilling area with assays of 546 g/t silver, 32.3 percent lead, and 4.89 percent zinc.
5. Triumph Gold (TSXV:TIG)
Weekly gain: 64.56 percent
Market cap: C$30.63 million
Share price: C$0.65
Triumph Gold is an explorer and developer advancing projects in the Yukon and BC, Canada, and Utah, United States.
Its three properties in the Yukon are all within the Dawson Range and consist of its flagship Freegold Mountain project, which has 20 identified mineral resources hosting gold, silver, copper, molybdenum, lead and zinc deposits; the Tad/Toro copper, gold and molybdenum project; and the Big Creek copper and gold project.
Triumph’s property in Northern BC is called Andalusite Peak, and on June 4, the company announced the acquisition of the Coyote Knoll silver-gold property in Utah.
On May 9, the company announced it had refined its exploration focus on geochemical surveys and detailed geological mapping at the Andalusite Peak project, and defined new targets at Freegold Mountain.
Triumph’s most recent update came on November 27, when it closed a non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of C$1.94 million.
FAQs for Canadian mining stocks
What is the difference between the TSX and TSXV?
The TSX, or Toronto Stock Exchange, is used by senior companies with larger market caps, and the TSXV, or TSX Venture Exchange, is used by smaller-cap companies. Companies listed on the TSXV can graduate to the senior exchange.
How many mining companies are listed on the TSX and TSXV?
As of May 2025, there were 1,565 companies listed on the TSXV, 910 of which were mining companies. Comparatively, the TSX was home to 1,899 companies, with 181 of those being mining companies.
Together, the TSX and TSXV host around 40 percent of the world’s public mining companies.
How much does it cost to list on the TSXV?
There are a variety of different fees that companies must pay to list on the TSXV, and according to the exchange, they can vary based on the transaction’s nature and complexity. The listing fee alone will most likely cost between C$10,000 to C$70,000. Accounting and auditing fees could rack up between C$25,000 and C$100,000, while legal fees are expected to be over C$75,000 and an underwriters’ commission may hit up to 12 percent.
The exchange lists a handful of other fees and expenses companies can expect, including but not limited to security commission and transfer agency fees, investor relations costs and director and officer liability insurance.
These are all just for the initial listing, of course. There are ongoing expenses once companies are trading, such as sustaining fees and additional listing fees, plus the costs associated with filing regular reports.
How do you trade on the TSXV?
Investors can trade on the TSXV the way they would trade stocks on any exchange. This means they can use a stock broker or an individual investment account to buy and sell shares of TSXV-listed companies during the exchange’s trading hours.
Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.