Open
- Start date:
- End date:
On this page
The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy, launched in 2022, set a strong foundation to accelerate domestic production and build resilient supply chains. Despite progress since the Strategy launch, a number of factors including geopolitical upheaval, market developments, and increasing demand pressures mean that Canada must adapt to address current challenges.
The Strategy was always intended to be iterative and adaptive to ensure that Canada can continue to strategically leverage our resource wealth, capture the economic opportunities in critical minerals, advance economic reconciliation, and protect against threats to our economic and national security, from exploration through to production. A refreshed Strategy will also support Canada’s objectives under the Defence Industrial Strategy and Trade Diversification Strategy.
Purpose
The objective of this Request for Information (RFI) is to seek the perspectives of rights holders and stakeholders on priority areas of focus, including gaps and opportunities, that will inform the development of an updated Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy. The Strategy will guide efforts to: promote domestic production and processing of critical minerals in strategic areas; protect Canada’s sovereignty and economic resilience by safeguarding critical mineral value chains; and partner with Indigenous groups, domestic stakeholders and international allies to develop critical minerals.
- Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy
- Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy: Progress update
- Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy
- Critical Minerals in Canada
Opportunities
Canada has the resource wealth to be a global supplier of choice but must act in a targeted manner and with greater speed to address key supply gaps and opportunities. While the 2022 Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy has set a strong foundation to accelerate domestic production – with a 10% increase in domestic production of nine key critical minerals between 2022 and 2024 – Canada still only produces a fraction of both domestic and partner countries’ critical mineral needs. Additional mines and processing facilities will be required to diversify sources of supply.
Canada can further its partnerships with Indigenous groups, provinces and territories, and industry to capitalize on the economic opportunities associated with critical mineral development, while bolstering Canada’s strong reputation for responsible mining. By enabling the capacity of Indigenous nations, communities, and groups to directly participate and benefit from strategic mining and infrastructure projects, Canada can bolster critical mineral value chains and get critical minerals to market.
As Canada and its allies look to rearm and meet North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) spending targets, there is an opportunity to better understand Canadian defence supply chains and technologies used in Canadian Armed Forces equipment, as well as to assess additional tools such as stockpiling to improve critical mineral supply for addressing defence-relevant capability requirements and gaps.
Many Canadian Armed Forces platforms and systems depend on secure access to critical mineral inputs – including rare earth elements, gallium, germanium, titanium, steel, and aluminum – across their full lifecycle, from production through sustainment and modernization. Strengthening domestic and allied supply chains for these inputs represents both a national security requirement and an opportunity to reinforce Canada’s defence industrial base, including small and medium-sized enterprises integrated into defence supply chains.
Finally, Canada can leverage new investment models such as equity positions and negotiated offtake agreements that can be syndicated among its allies. Canada can build off successful examples of co-investments with allies via the Critical Minerals Production Alliance.
Background
The global production and supply of critical minerals continue to be dominated in many instances by non-market economies who can control markets to the detriment of Canada and its allies. This adds to existing challenges regarding economic viability of many projects, including for more “niche” minerals that have strategic applications but small markets overall. Concentration of global supply for certain minerals creates vulnerabilities for Canadian defence manufacturing and sustainment, particularly where inputs are sourced from jurisdictions with divergent strategic interests. Disruptions or coercive practices can directly affect Canada’s ability to equip and sustain the Canadian Armed Forces and meet allied commitments.
National and economic security concerns are prompting partners to launch a range of new policy and investment instruments, including price guarantees and stockpiling that could further distort the free market if not applied carefully. At the same time, sustainable economic development and high environmental standards remain core to project development in Canada along side the informed participation and decision-making of Indigenous peoples, as well as the provinces and territories.
The ability for governments to provide financial support to projects is finite. Canada currently lists 34 critical minerals, and rapidly evolving geopolitical events as well as technological advancements can lead to changes in priorities. Canada needs to act effectively and efficiently, and due diligence is fundamental to maximize economic benefits and avoid overexposure to investment risk.
Eligibility
This RFI welcomes respondents from industry, investors, traders, Crown Corporations, government agencies, Indigenous and community organizations, academia, not-for-profit organizations, research organizations, and others with experience and interest in the development of critical minerals and associated value chains.
How to respond
We invite rights holders and stakeholders to provide feedback on priority areas of focus to inform an updated Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy. Based on your area of expertise, please respond to as many questions as possible in the RFI response form. The form is organized around four thematic areas for your consideration:
- Promoting domestic production and processing of critical minerals in strategic areas
- Protecting Canada’s sovereignty and economic resilience by safeguarding critical mineral value chains
- Partnering with Indigenous communities and organizations, domestic stakeholders and international allies to develop critical minerals
- Other comments or considerations
After you respond
Thank you for your submission to this RFI. Your insights will support internal analysis to inform the development of an updated Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy. All responses will be anonymized and aggregated as part of the assessment process conducted by the Government of Canada. Responses will also be shared with relevant federal departments.
If you wish to provide additional materials or documents in support of your response, please share these documents with the Critical Minerals Centre of Excellence at Natural Resources Canada (cmce-cemc@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca).
Contact us
For questions regarding this RFI, please contact the Critical Minerals Centre of Excellence at: cmce-cemc@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
Disclaimer
Please note this is solely a request for information and does not represent formal consultation for a current or future funding opportunity. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is not obligated to respond directly or indirectly to any of the issues submitted under an RFI.
NRCan will not reimburse any respondent for expenses incurred in responding. Respondents will have no claim for damages, compensation, loss of profit, or allowance arising out of providing comments in response to the RFI.
Please do not include any information you consider proprietary or confidential. NRCan will handle the responses in accordance with the Access to Information Act.
This RFI is an initiative led by the Government of Canada. Responses to the RFI will be shared with other departments within the Government of Canada and with respective provincial government departments.
NRCan may, at its discretion, contact any respondents to follow up with additional questions or for clarification of any aspect of a response.
Privacy notice statement
The Request for Information (RFI) questionnaire is voluntary, and the purpose is to inform the development of an updated Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy.
The respondent should only provide business related information and business contact information such as representative name, organization, affiliation/industry sector and work email address. If the respondent provides personal information on this questionnaire, NRCan will protect it in accordance with the Privacy Act. The information is collected under the authority of the Department of Natural Resources Act and in accordance with the following personal information banks: Public Communications (PSU914) and Outreach Activities (PSU 938).
Please note that comments you enter in the feedback text field should not contain any personal or sensitive information and please exercise caution when providing comments to protect your privacy and the privacy of others. If you have any concerns or questions about the handling of your personal information, please contact the Critical Minerals Centre of Excellence at: cmce-cemc@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.