On June 10, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced that the Critical Minerals List will be updated following substantial review and consultations. 

Critical minerals are core to Canada’s green future, especially because they enable clean technology and energy sources. That’s why the Government of Canada (the Government) released its first Critical Minerals List in 2021, and then made a commitment to review the minerals identified as critical every three years.

Since then, the list has continued to be a key resource in determining where to focus Canadian efforts related to sustainable mining exploration and extraction, advanced manufacturing, clean technology, as well as information and communications technologies and semiconductors. The list guides federal policy and programs and signals government areas of priority to stakeholders. 

To start the reviewing process, the Government held public consultations with provincial and territorial governments, other government departments, industry, Indigenous groups, and other interested or affected stakeholders. All the priorities listed by provinces and territories were considered in the development of the updated national list. 

The Government then conducted an analysis on all minerals included in the 2021 Critical Minerals List and to consider potential candidates for addition. The analyses resulted in an updated Critical Minerals List that retains all 31 minerals from the 2021 list plus an additional three minerals – high-purity iron, phosphorous and silicon metal – for a total of 34 critical minerals. These materials are integral to a variety of products, critical to the energy transition are often those in short supply and they are those that are critical to Canada’s future economic prosperity.

For example, silicon metal is essential to the manufacture of chips and semiconductors, used in almost any and everything electronic. High-purity iron ore is essential to green steel and integral to decarbonization. Phosphorus combined with potash is essential for food security through the production of fertilizers. Phosphorus can also be used in Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries, another strategic opportunity in the EV value chain for Canada.

The Government also took steps to update its set of criteria for what makes a critical mineral as part of the list’s review, as there is no global definition of critical minerals. In Canada, to be classified as a critical mineral, a mineral must meet both of the following criteria: 

1. The supply chain is threatened; and 

2. there is a reasonable chance of the mineral being produced by Canada. 

The mineral must also meet one of the following criteria: 

1. It is essential to Canada’s economic or national security; or

2. It is required for the national transition to a sustainable low-carbon and digital economy; or

3. It positions Canada as a sustainable and strategic partner within global supply chains.

According to the Government of Canada, critical minerals are the building blocks for the green and digital economy and demand for them will only grow throughout the global energy transition. They are used in a wide range of essential products, from mobile phones and solar panels to electric vehicle batteries and medical applications. 

By building critical mineral value chains, Canada can be the global supplier of choice for critical minerals and the clean energy and technology sources they enable.

“By updating Canada’s Critical Minerals List, we are taking a proactive step to ensure that Canada’s efforts to seize the generational economic opportunity presented by our critical minerals wealth is well-informed by the most accurate market trends, geopolitical factors and science,” said Minister Wilkinson. “Investments in critical minerals projects create good jobs for workers, more avenues for Canadian innovation and lower emissions across the country – all of which form an important part of our plan to build a cleaner Canada and a prosperous, sustainable economy.” 

Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy is part of Canada’s strengthened climate plan, 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy, which advances Canada’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% to 45% below 2005 levels by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.