Natural Resources

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources met to study the expansion of Canada’s critical minerals sector. The witnesses were Eric Desaulniers, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nouveau Monde Graphite; A.E. Williams-Jones, Logan Professor of Geology and Geochemistry at McGill University, representing the company IEP; and Carl Laberge, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Saguenay Port Authority.

Eric Desaulniers described Nouveau Monde Graphite’s three major projects: the Matawinie mine, a processing plant in Bécancour, and the Uatnan deposit on the North Shore. He said the company has all permits for the mine and has signed agreements with the Atikamekw nation, emphasizing that providing tangible economic benefits and helping first nations build expertise were key to securing social licence. He recommended that the federal government use financial tools such as contracts for difference and offtake agreements to de-risk projects and attract private capital, noting that Canada cannot compete with China’s zero-cost capital but can leverage its capital markets.

A.E. Williams-Jones argued that Canada should focus exploration on carbonatite complexes near existing infrastructure, such as the Lackner Lake prospect near Timmins, rather than remote northern deposits. He stressed that many promising deposits are under-explored because junior companies lack capital for drilling, and he called for federal investment in metallurgical research to improve extraction rates, citing Niobec’s 59% recovery rate as an example. He disagreed with the government’s emphasis on northern projects like Torngat Metals, questioning the logistics and funding, and recommended educating the public on the strategic uses of critical metals to drive investment.

Carl Laberge highlighted the Port of Saguenay’s deep-water capacity, rail connections to northern Quebec and Ontario, and 1,200 hectares of industrial land for processing critical minerals. He said the port needs $150 million for berth and storage upgrades and $150 million for basic infrastructure, with additional investments from Hydro-Québec and Énergir, and noted that a $700-million rail upgrade could connect prolific mining areas. He added that the port could support defence sector development due to its proximity to Bagotville military base and collaboration with the Davie shipyard, and that it is ready to begin work in 2026.

During questions, Williams-Jones reiterated that the federal government should support deposits in the south with existing infrastructure, while Desaulniers noted that graphite processing is currently 100% controlled by China and that anti-dumping tariffs in the U.S. could help Canadian producers. Laberge confirmed that an LNG project at the port was killed by permit denials, and that the port imports metallurgical coal from the U.S. for regional industry. The committee discussed the challenge of finding a single proponent for a northern corridor, with Laberge arguing that multiple stakeholders, including governments, must collaborate. No procedural motions or votes were recorded.