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Our critical minerals strategic partnerships

Building Canadian-based critical minerals value chains is a long-term, multi-stakeholder objective that requires full cooperation with industry, provincial, territorial, Indigenous and international partners. Our strategic partnerships inform the Government of Canada’s approach to critical minerals development.

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Industry engagement in critical minerals

Canada’s engagement with the critical minerals industry aims to strengthen government-industry collaboration by enabling more reliable information sharing, fostering innovation in policy development and implementation, and informing a unified Canadian voice on the international stage. The Government of Canada engages industry through conversations on policy, funding, and research partnerships and services like the Concierge Service of the Critical Minerals Centre of Excellence, which aims to support industry in navigating funding and regulatory questions.

Indigenous engagement and participation in critical minerals

Canada recognizes that Indigenous Peoples are the stewards, rights holders, and in many cases, title holders to the land upon which mineral development takes place. The success of Canadian critical minerals development is contingent on respect for Indigenous and treaty rights, and meaningful engagement, partnership and collaboration with Indigenous Peoples.

Advancing reconciliation is a key pillar of the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy, and Canada has several initiatives designed to strengthen the engagement and participation of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis in the sector. Relevant initiatives include:

The Government of Canada continues to engage Indigenous groups and partners on these initiatives on an ongoing basis. Canada is also committed to seeking input and feedback on funding initiatives to ensure they are accessible, applicable, and relevant to Indigenous interests and priorities.

In the context of specific critical minerals projects, Canada will continue to honour treaty obligations and uphold the duty to consult, with the aim of securing the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples.

Provincial and territorial partnerships

Mining is primarily within the purview of provincial and territorial governments. Critical minerals exist in almost every province and territory, and several provinces have developed critical minerals strategies to support value chain integration in line with federal priorities. Common priorities include attracting investment, enhancing economic opportunities for Indigenous communities, enabling key infrastructure, improving regulatory efficiency, and advancing geoscience research.

The Government of Canada will continue to advance federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) cooperation through multilateral forums such as:

Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference

The Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference (EMMC) is an annual gathering of federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for energy and mining portfolios. At these meetings, ministers discuss shared priorities for collaborative action to advance energy and mining development across the country.

Intergovernmental Working Group on the Mineral Industry (Mines IGWG)

The Intergovernmental Working Group on the Mineral Industry (Mines IGWG) promotes collaboration through bilateral and multilateral meetings, supporting senior-level engagements and encouraging FPT information sharing. This commitment is shared with:

Regional Energy and Resource Tables

The Regional Energy and Resource Tables (Regional Tables) are joint partnerships between the federal government and individual provinces and territories, in collaboration with Indigenous partners and with the input of key stakeholders, to identify and accelerate the top economic priorities for a low-carbon future in the energy and resource sectors. Some provinces have established alternative mechanisms, including Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan.

Bilateral engagements will address projects and challenges of regional priority.

International partnerships

Canada is seeking to build more resilient critical minerals global supply chains by working with international partners to align policies; raise global economic, social and governance (ESG) standards; advance joint research and development (R&D); and encourage new investment opportunities, among other priorities. As part of this work, Canada is engaged in numerous international forums that aim to advance the development of critical minerals and critical minerals value chains. These include:

Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance

Canada, along with Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, launched the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance in 2022, and was joined by Sweden in 2024, to drive the global uptake of environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive and responsible mining, processing and recycling practices and responsible critical minerals supply chains.

Read the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance statement

Critical minerals are essential inputs to the clean technologies – like solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicle batteries – needed for the global clean energy transition.

As countries around the world work to secure access to these resources, it is equally important that the path to net-zero emissions is built with a human rights-based approach, underpinned by a commitment to sustainability and the highest ESG standards.

In alignment with the G7 2030 Nature Compact commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, state actors have decided to launch the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance to drive the global uptake of environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive and responsible mining, processing and recycling practices and responsible critical minerals supply chains.

Commitments

Building on existing work in this area within the multilateral sphere and elsewhere, members of the Alliance will voluntarily work towards developing sustainable and inclusive mining practices and sourcing critical minerals that:

  • Employ a nature-positive approach by encouraging industry practices or collaborating with industry on practices that prevent biodiversity loss, protect species at risk, support nature protection and minimize pollution, including driving towards net-positive benefits to the natural environment
  • Support local and Indigenous communities by respecting the respective rights and interests of local and Indigenous communities through engagement; promoting safe working conditions and responsible labour standards, and diverse and inclusive workforces; supporting safe living conditions; and including members of Indigenous and local communities in economic benefits from mining that affects their well-being
  • Help fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions; working towards achieving net-zero emissions by no later than 2050; and promoting mining, processing and recycling processes that advance sustainability through ESG standards
  • Restore ecosystems by adopting requirements for reclamation and remediation to close and return mine sites to their natural state where feasible, and holding responsible parties accountable for environmental harm
  • Build a circular economy by promoting material stewardship, including by-products and recovery from waste; keeping products in use longer as well as accelerating the reuse and recycling of critical minerals, which may reduce the number of new mines required to supply the minerals needed
  • Foster ethical corporate practices through sustainability reporting to investors and the public, and by implementing due diligence in mineral supply chains as indicated in relevant internationally accepted guidelines
Call to action

Members of the Alliance welcome and encourage actions taken domestically and globally to advance the objectives of the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance.

This may include committing to parallel and related actions and initiatives that help advance the sustainable and responsible development and sourcing of critical minerals worldwide, such as:

  • government-to-government coordination through institutions like the United Nations Environment Assembly, the International Energy Agency, the World Bank, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to support sustainable mining and supply chain practices and frameworks
  • international dialogue on sustainability expectations in mining and critical minerals supply chains as well as transparency on performance in the sector
  • participation in, and support to multi-stakeholder and industry initiatives that promote high standards in mining
  • initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion in the resource and energy sectors, such as the Equal by 30 Campaign
  • conservation-specific initiatives, to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, such as the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature and the conservation target of protecting 30 percent of the world’s land and seas by 2030 (30x30 target)

Members of the Alliance will work together through existing multilateral forums. As a next step, members will examine the collaboration and alignment with existing multilateral forums and initiatives.

Finally, members of the Alliance call on national governments worldwide to join the Alliance.

Members
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • France
  • Germany
  • Japan
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Sweden

Canada-U.S. Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals

Announced on January 9, 2020, to advance bilateral interest in securing supply chains for the critical minerals needed for strategic manufacturing sectors, including communication technology, aerospace and defence, and clean technology. The Action Plan underpins bilateral cooperation on industry engagement and joint support for strategic critical minerals projects, innovation, supply chain modelling, and traceability and standards.

Canada-U.S. mineral value chains are deeply integrated. Canada already supplies many of the minerals deemed critical by the United States. In 2023, bilateral mineral trade was valued at $146 billion, with more than 300 Canadian mining companies and a combined $45.5 billion in Canadian mining assets south of the border.

Canada–European Union (EU) Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials

The primary mechanism for engaging the European Commission and EU Member States on Canada’s critical minerals and battery value chains. The overarching objective of the partnership is to advance the value, security and sustainability of trade and investment in regard to the critical minerals and metals needed for the transition to a green and digitalized economy. Agreed areas of collaboration include integration of raw materials value chains; science, technology and innovation collaboration; and collaboration in international forums to advance world-class ESG criteria and standards.

Canada-France Bilateral Dialogue on Critical Minerals

Announced on September 28, 2023, it is meant to strengthen cooperation to secure supply chains, foster R&D, and promote high ESG standards. This initiative builds on existing partnerships, including the Canada-EU Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials and the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance, supporting the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy and global collaboration for a sustainable, secure supply of these essential resources.

Canada-Germany Energy Partnership

Aims to develop trade and investment partnerships in critical minerals and their supply chains; strengthen science and R&D collaboration; and advance the global adoption of ESG standards in critical minerals supply chains.

Canada-Chile Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Critical Minerals and the Sustainable Development of Minerals and Metals (signed in March 2024)

Aims to help Canada and Chile achieve stronger and closer collaboration in the areas of critical minerals, value chains, innovation, competitiveness, and responsible and sustainable development of the mining sector in support of energy transition goals.

Canada-Japan Memorandum of Cooperation on Battery Supply Chain

Aims to ensure integrated, value-added investment into Canada’s upstream, midstream, and downstream battery supply chain sectors; and encourage and facilitate collaboration and cooperation between governments, industry, and research agencies.

Canada–South Korea MOU on Cooperation in Critical Minerals Supply Chains, the Clean Energy Transition and Energy Security

Aims to increase Korean investment in Canadian mineral and mining projects, including processing, and facilitate technical cooperation to secure global energy and critical minerals supply chains.

Canada-Australia joint statement on critical minerals cooperation

Aims to promote shared priorities related to global critical minerals extraction, processing, and refining with specific areas of cooperation: robust ESG efforts, critical minerals supply chain transparency/traceability, cooperation in multilateral forums, and joint R&D.

Canada-Indonesia MOU on Critical Minerals Cooperation

As part of Canada and Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations, these two countries signed an MOU on critical minerals, which establishes a bilateral dialogue to discuss cooperation in ESG standards, among other areas.

Canada–United Kingdom joint statement of intent on collaboration on critical minerals

Aims to deepen Canada and the United Kingdom’s engagement and cooperation on critical minerals supply chain resilience and trade, ESG credentials, and research and innovation.

Canada-Italy joint statement on critical minerals and critical raw materials cooperation

The Canada-Italy joint statement aims to enhance cooperation on critical minerals through the promotion of trade and investment; and exchanges of policies, regulations, best practices, and technical and ESG standards.

Other multilateral engagements

Through other multilateral engagements, Canada is pursuing collective action on critical minerals to support the global transition to green energy and more resilient supply chains. Notable multilateral organizations and initiatives include the G7, for which Canada holds the Presidency in 2025; the G20; the International Energy Agency; the World Bank; the International Renewable Energy Agency; the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development; and the Minerals Security Partnership.

Contact us

Have questions or comments? Contact the Critical Minerals Centre of Excellence.

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