Advancing the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy

Critical minerals represent a generational opportunity for Canada’s workers, economy and net-zero emissions future. With its vast resources and manufacturing capacity, Canada is well positioned to become a secure and reliable supplier of critical minerals and value-added products for global markets.

To capitalize on this opportunity, the Government of Canada released the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy in December 2022. Backed by nearly $4 billion over eight years, the federal government has put in place a range of programs and initiatives to drive research and innovation throughout the critical mineral value chain, provide major investments to accelerate project development and grow Canada’s economy, address key infrastructure gaps to enable sustainable critical minerals production, promote meaningful socio-economic partnership with Indigenous peoples, and strengthen supply chain resiliency and promote Canada’s leadership globally.

In the first year since the Strategy was released, here is the progress achieved:

• Launched the $1.5 billion Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund for clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects.
• Allocated $249 million, through the Strategic Innovation Fund, to 2 major critical minerals projects – E3 Lithium and Rio Tinto Fer Titane – to support the responsible production of lithium, titanium and scandium for the EV battery and advanced manufacturing sectors respectively.
• Collaborated with industry on 31 research and development projects, covering battery minerals, mining value from waste, rare earth element processing and regulatory development through the Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration (CMRDD) program.
• Announced 8 critical mineral projects under CMRDD to improve the feasibility of producing or commercializing novel technologies and innovative process designs, and to enhance the environmental performance of production methods.
• Launched a suite of exploratory projects that focus on value chain integration, accelerated materials discovery and international collaboration, with ongoing research on battery recycling, lithium recovery from brines, high-conductivity materials and magnetic material manufacturing.
• Contributed to research on mining value from waste by developing an inventory of mine tailings to document the critical mineral potential in mine tailings and advancing battery and magnet recycling.
• Launched the Critical Minerals Geoscience and Data Initiative to advance the availability of valuable data and insights on the location, quality and economic feasibility of critical minerals resources.
• Made available multiple federal tax credits to support critical minerals development, including the Investment Tax Credit for Clean Technology, Investment Tax Credit for Clean Technology Manufacturing and the Critical Mineral Exploration Tax credit.
• Allocated $700,000 to the BC First Nations Energy and Mining Council to develop a Critical Minerals Literacy Program that aims to increase Indigenous communities’ knowledge and their participation in the natural resource economy.
• Launched consultations to revise Canada’s Critical Minerals List to ensure it aligns with changing domestic and global conditions.
• Supported over 150 stakeholders – from technology firms to junior mining companies and Indigenous organizations – in identifying suitable federal programs for potential funding opportunities and in navigating the federal regulatory environment through the Critical Minerals Concierge Service.
• Signed bilateral agreements with the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan and France to improve responsible business conduct, ESG standards and best practices in critical mineral-related activities.
• Committed $5.4 million to support the ongoing secretariat operations of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development.
• Committed $1 million to support the development and international offerings of the University of British Columbia’s Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining Executive Micro certificate in Economic Leadership for Mining program, demonstrating Canada’s commitment to the Energy Resources Governance Initiative.
• Supported efforts to enhance critical mineral supply chain resiliency through Canada’s role as Vice Chair to the Critical Minerals Working Party, which is advising International Energy Agency (IEA) led approaches to critical minerals data, market outlooks, innovation, price and supply chain transparency, and security including through a new IEA Critical Minerals Security Program.
• Allocated funding and provided support measures to accelerate regional opportunities for critical minerals development through the Regional Development Agencies, including detailed infrastructure studies, enhancing critical mineral exploration, supporting Indigenous communities' participation in critical minerals development, and supporting the development of the electric vehicle and semiconductor supply chains.

Critical minerals remain vital to the production of essential technologies like electric vehicle batteries, semiconductors and green energy systems. Canada’s whole-of-government approach to critical mineral development is forward-looking, adaptive and long-term. The programs and initiatives presented in the Strategy are being implemented in collaboration with provincial, territorial, Indigenous groups, industry, and other Canadian and international partners. The Government of Canada has set the stage to grow Canada’s critical mineral capacity by developing and launching programs and initiatives that will help address gaps in our value chains for a sustainable and prosperous future.

Related links

• Canada’s whole-of-government approach for the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy (PDF, 60 KB)
• The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy 
• Critical Minerals Centre of Excellence 
• Canada’s List of Critical Minerals 
• Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan 
• Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration Program – Wave 2 (Pilot and Demonstration)  
• Government of Canada Launches Second Call for Proposals for Critical Minerals Research Development and Demonstration Program  
• Programs and funding for critical minerals projects 
• Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund
• Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance