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U.S. must learn more about Canada’s potential as a critical-minerals partner: report

Nov 2, 2021 | 11:01 AM

WASHINGTON — A new report on the future of critical minerals says the United States still has a lot to learn about the “huge potential” for growth offered by one of its nearest neighbours: Canada. 

The Wilson Center report urges the U.S. to work with its North American partners and to leverage existing trade agreements to take advantage of their robust mining industries. 

Report co-author Duncan Wood, a senior adviser to the centre’s Mexico Institute, says some in U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration are well aware of Canada’s potential. 

Others, however, are not, and Wood says the administration still doesn’t fully realize how far along its largest trading partner already is when it comes to extracting and processing minerals. 

Demand for critical minerals and rare earth elements is already soaring as developed countries, especially the U.S., seek to jump-start manufacturing of and demand for electric vehicles, a cornerstone of efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. 

In 2020, Canada joined the U.S. State Department’s multilateral effort to buttress critical mineral supply chains, but Wood says those conversations haven’t progressed as quickly as they should. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2021. 

The Canadian Press