The climate of the Taiga Shield is subarctic. Winters are therefore very long and cold, and summers short and cool. The lowest mean winter temperature is -24.5°C, at the western end of the region, where Yellowknife, which rivals Winnipeg as Canada’s coldest city, is located. The winter mean rises to -11°C in southeastern Labrador, lower than one would expect with the ocean so nearby. Also a presence, however, is the very cold Labrador Current, which severely reduces moderating maritime influences. The annual summer mean ranges from 5.5°C on the George Plateau, southeast of Ungava Bay, in Quebec, to 11°C in the southern part of the ecozone west of Hudson Bay. This western flank of the zone also has the lowest mean annual precipitation, between 200 and 500 millimetres. The range in the east is generally from 500 to 800 millimetres, although it is can be as high as 1150 millimetres in the southeastern corner of Labrador.

Almost 35,000 people live in the Taiga Shield, 60 percent of whom are aboriginal, Dene, Cree, and Innu peoples among them. The main urban areas include Yellowknife, capital of the Northwest Territories; Uranium City, on Lake Athabasca, in northern Saskatchewan; and Labrador City and Churchill Falls, in eastern Labrador. Hydroelectricity, mining, and forestry are the main engines of the economy in this region, the first especially so in Quebec and Labrador. And the traditional pursuits of hunting, fishing, and trapping remain important for many.

There are no National Parks in the Taiga Shield.