British Columbia is leading a new partnership with six western and northern provinces and territories to strengthen Canada’s position in the global critical minerals sector.
The initiative brings together Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut under a shared roadmap designed to accelerate the exploration, development, processing and manufacturing of critical minerals across the region.
Known as Stronger Together: A Critical Minerals Strategy for Western and Northern Canada, the plan establishes a coordinated approach to help the region respond to changing global economic conditions and growing geopolitical demand for secure critical mineral supplies.
According to the strategy, close cooperation between provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous communities and industry will be essential to unlocking the full potential of the critical minerals value chain, from exploration and extraction to processing and advanced manufacturing.
The roadmap is built around three main priorities.
The first focuses on attracting investment while creating greater regulatory certainty to position Western and Northern Canada as a competitive and investment-ready destination for critical minerals projects.
The second aims to develop nation-building infrastructure corridors and industrial hubs that can support large-scale mining projects and improve access to key resource areas.
The third pillar seeks to build on the unique strengths of each participating jurisdiction by advancing major critical minerals projects and expanding a competitive regional value chain.
Officials believe the strategy will help attract new investment across mineral exploration, mining and processing while strengthening regional supply chains. It also aims to increase processing capacity closer to mining operations, allowing more value to be created within Western and Northern Canada before minerals are shipped to domestic and international markets.
By working together, the participating provinces and territories hope to improve the region’s competitiveness, accelerate project development and establish Western and Northern Canada as a leading supplier of the critical minerals needed for the global energy transition and advanced manufacturing industries.
