Canada ready to become critical minerals provider -minister

Canada is ready to become a reliable provider of critical minerals to its international allies including Japan, a senior official said, as the Group of Seven (G7) countries deem such minerals essential for climate goals and energy security.
Canada has signed a joint action plan with the United States to advance secure supply chains for critical minerals and has similar critical minerals cooperation agreements with Japan and the European Union.
“We view this resource has been very strategic, not only from an economic point of view, but also from a security point of view,” Canada’s minister of environment and climate change Steven Guilbeault told Reuters in Japan where he will take part in a G7 ministerial meeting on climate, energy and environment.
The April 15-16 meeting in Sapporo, part of Japan’s G7 presidency this year, will discuss the growing importance of critical minerals for the clean energy transition and the need to prevent economic and security risks caused by vulnerable supply chains and monopolization, among other topics, the latest draft communique seen by Reuters showed.