The US needs Canada to win the critical minerals race

For the U.S., the critical minerals challenge is usually framed as a race against China. That is true but incomplete. The more immediate question is whether the U.S. can build reliable, commercially viable supply chains with the partners it already has. And at the top of that list is Canada.

Critical minerals are not just about mining. They are about batteries, semiconductors, defense systems, electric motors, transmission infrastructure, nuclear technologies and the advanced manufacturing platforms that will define economic and national security in the coming decades. The U.S. can and should increase domestic production, but no serious strategy can rely on domestic production alone. Supply chains are too complex, investment needs too large and timelines too long. 

Canada offers a practical answer. It produces or holds significant potential in many of the minerals that matter most to the U.S., including nickel, cobalt, graphite, lithium, copper, rare earths, uranium, tungsten, potash and aluminum. Its Critical Minerals Strategy is designed not only to expand extraction, but also to strengthen processing, manufacturing, recycling, infrastructure and partnerships with Indigenous communities, provinces, industry and allies.  

Canada also has physical advantages that are often overlooked in Washington. Mining and processing require reliable electricity, abundant water, transport corridors, environmental management capacity and communities that can support long-term development. Canada has constraints, especially in remote and northern regions, but compared with many alternative suppliers it offers a rare combination of mineral endowment, rule of law, clean power potential, water availability and environmental credibility. 

The logic is especially clear as the auto industry........

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