Strengthening global electric vehicle supply chains with Canadian resources

From mining to manufacturing to charging, Canadian businesses and workers are attracting historic investments in the electric vehicle supply chain. When electric vehicles are made from Canadian minerals, assembled by Canadian autoworkers, and powered by Canadian-made chargers, we secure and create jobs, grow our economy, and keep our air clean now and in the future. coming.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today met with workers at the Saskatoon plant of Vital Metals, Canada’s largest producer of rare earths. Rare earth elements are an essential mineral used in clean technologies like electric vehicles and wind turbines. The Government of Canada recently announced $5 million in funding to help establish processing and production at this facility, as part of a series of federal investments to support jobs and growth in Canada’s services sector. essential minerals.

Critical minerals are the building blocks of the clean economy and are in growing demand globally. Canada’s first Critical Minerals Strategy, released in December 2022, is a roadmap to make Canada a global supplier of choice for critical minerals.

Canadian workers and businesses are already at the forefront of clean energy, clean technology and related components. As demand continues to grow, positioning Canada as a reliable supplier will create even more jobs in Canada, grow our economy and reduce pollution to help fight climate change.

Estimate

“The world wants clean technology, and Canada has the resources, expertise and skilled workers to meet that demand. By developing and processing our critical minerals here in Canada – the first step in the clean technology supply chain – we can create good, middle-class jobs while keeping our air clean for generations to come.

Fast facts

• Critical minerals are at the heart of major global industries such as clean technology, healthcare, aerospace and IT. They are used in solar panels, telephones and computers, and are essential for producing electric vehicles. Permanent magnets and rare earth elements are important inputs in electric vehicle motors and many clean technology applications.
• Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy is supported by up to $3.8 billion in federal support, announced in Budget 2022. The proposed funding covers the entire critical minerals supply chain, geosciences and exploration to mineral processing, manufacturing and recycling applications, including support for research, development and technology deployment.
• Saskatchewan is a Canadian leader in the sustainable production of critical minerals, with a rich supply of uranium. The world’s largest producer of potash, the province is home to the most sustainable potash mine in the world.
• Recent federal investments in the development of critical minerals include a contribution of up to $222 million through the Strategic Innovation Fund to help Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium increase its production of critical minerals and a $27 million contribution to E3 Lithium Ltd. through the Net Zero Accelerator initiative of the Strategic Innovation Fund.
• Canada currently produces 60 minerals and metals from 200 mines.
• Vital Metals is Canada’s premier rare earth miner. The company crushes and sorts the ore at the Nechalacho mine in the Northwest Territories, before sending the ore to the rare earths mining plant in Saskatoon.

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