Defence Committee Completes Report on Critical Minerals MP Lapointe’s Motion called for the Study

SUDBURY – Last week, the Federal Government’s Standing Committee on National Defence tabled a report in the House of Commons. The Report is titled “Strengthening Canada’s Resilience on the Critical Mineral Front.”

The study was initiated by Member of Parliament for Sudbury, Viviane Lapointe, who brought forward a motion at the Defence Committee earlier this year. When presenting the motion at Committee, MP Lapointe spoke of the current geopolitical uncertainty and how critical minerals are not just central to Canada’s economy but also to the country’s national security.

The Committee studied how critical minerals are essential to the defence capabilities of the country and its allies. In its report, the Committee concluded that “the weaponization of resources and supply chains has made access to critical minerals a growing priority for industries, governments and militaries.” The report states numerous factors including geopolitical tensions, rising defence expenditures and the intensifying development of sophisticated military technologies have made the production and supply of critical minerals “a strategic battleground.”

Committee members heard from experts in the fields of defence, mining, research and academia. “What we heard was that securing reliable supply chains for the minerals that power modern defence systems and advanced technologies is becoming increasingly important,” observed Lapointe.

Lapointe said the study also provided an opportunity to promote the important work being done in Sudbury. One of the witnesses who presented at Committee was Laurentian University’s Goodman School of Mining Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk. There she highlighted that “Canada’s defence sovereignty is inseparable from its mineral sovereignty,” and advanced communications systems, aerospace sensors, autonomous systems and electrified military infrastructure all rely on secure access to critical minerals such as nickel, copper, cobalt and rare earth elements. Dr. Mykytczuk advocated for more domestic refining and processing, workforce development within the industry, and investments in research and development.

In 2024, Canada was the fourth largest producer of nickel in the world, with Sudbury comprising a large part of North American mining and processing operations. Nickel has cross-defence implications, including in the steel used in tanks and submarines.

The final report contains 19 recommendations across a variety of industry, defence, and regional concerns. One of the recommendations is for the government of Canada to continue prioritizing domestic processing, refining, and midstream capacity for critical minerals as a strategic component of Canada’s defence industrial base and allied supply-chain resilience.

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