Canada’s climate and national security depend on critical minerals, so why is no one talking about it, asks Canadian Chamber of Commerce

(OTTAWA) – September 2, 2021 – The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Senior Vice President of Policy & Government Relations Mark Agnew, today issued the following statement:

“The election campaign is a good time to see what the parties have learned from challenges we’ve faced during COVID-19. It is also an opportunity to talk about how to tackle climate change and nurture our tech sector, which will both require a domestic strategy for critical minerals.

One of the many lessons of the pandemic has been the importance of supply chain resiliency. Canada is missing a major opportunity to be a leader in critical minerals, which are central to making the advanced technologies that we rely on in our everyday lives, including in cell phones and other IT devices. Critical minerals are also vital for our transition to a lower-carbon economy that will rely on solar panels and electric vehicles.

The importance of strengthening trusted and sustainable critical mineral supply chains and reducing our dependence on China is growing for both Canada and the United States. Canada urgently needs a trade and economic strategy for our own critical mineral deposits. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. 

Building our domestic production capacity will strengthen both cross-border supply chains and our national security. It will also reduce our vulnerability to supply shortages in times of crises like COVID-19. Canada can also be a world leader in sustainably sourced minerals for our allies.

A critical mineral strategy must strengthen all segments of the supply chain, including using product demand to create incentives that will enable extraction and processing here in North America, and particularly in Canada. Key elements that the government can act upon include:

• Using government procurement contracts to create incentives for North American sourced critical minerals;
• Exploring with the United States the possibility for joint purchasing and stockpiling of critical minerals; and
• Providing targeted support, including tax and regulatory measures to enable extraction projects to get off the ground.

Critical minerals is an issue all party leaders must address, and we hope to hear more about their plans for a strategy between now and election day.”  

To see the Canadian Chamber’s full list of recommendations for Canada’s next Parliament, click here.

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce – Because Business Matters

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce helps build the businesses that support our families, our communities and our country. We do this by influencing government policy, by providing essential business services and by connecting businesses to information they can use, to opportunities for growth and to a network of local chambers, businesses, decision-makers and peers from across the country, in every sector of the economy and at all levels of government, as well as internationally. We are unapologetic in our support for business and the vital role it plays in building and sustaining our great nation.

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For more information, please contact:
Emily Walsh
ewalsh@chamber.ca