The TSX and TSX Venture Exchange list more than 1,000 mining companies, making Canada a major player.SEBASTIEN ST-JEAN/Getty Images
George Anderson is a former deputy minister at Natural Resources Canada.
China’s recent suspension of exports of rare earth minerals and rare earth magnets was shocking. The vulnerability of key industries and even for certain military supplies, which depend on those commodities, has been laid bare.
China’s action brought the U.S. to the table, where it leveraged important concessions from the Trump administration, while still maintaining important controls on rare earth exports.
The vulnerability that China’s actions exposed is not just geopolitical. There are emerging potential shortages of various critical minerals that portend problems for the energy transition and other high-tech developments. The supply of copper – which is vital for the electricity industry –…
