Twenty-first century competitiveness requires sustained and reliable access to specialized minerals, yet another example of how Canada’s natural resource sector is essential to the country’s long-term prosperity. While Canada has a well-deserved reputation as a leading mining nation, it does not yet have a strong presence in the strategic mineral sector. These commodities, which include critical minerals like lithium and also a group of hard-to-find rare earth elements, play a vital role in the development of 21st century commercial and industrial products, including many in the high-technology sector. Ensuring a steady supply of these critical minerals is crucial to long-term technological viability. But at present, countries like China, Russia, Brazil and other less-than-dependable regimes often have an outsized role in this sector. China, for example, controls much of the world’s rare earth elements.
MLI brought together an online panel of the top experts to discuss how Canada can protect its interests and build its economy with a critical minerals strategy, including:
