Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand met with her international counterparts in Washington on February 4th as the Trump administration makes a case for collaboration to push back on China’s dominance over critical minerals. The Green Party of Canada is concerned that Canada may be pulled into a predatory deal that pits the US against the other superpowers at the expense of middle powers like Canada. “Project Vault,” as Trump has dubbed his project, aims to protect US corporations from price volatility and supply shocks in order to develop the vital products of the future that rely on these critical inputs.
The Green Party urges the Carney government to consider the creation of a strategic reserve of these indispensable materials for Canada’s future. This is in keeping with our long-standing policy with regard to aluminum, forest products and potash all of which are needed by our neighbours to the South. The creation of Strategic Reserves is a non-budgetary transaction, essentially an asset swap, with negligible impact on the Government of Canada’s books.
“Mr. Carney and Mr. Soloman have been waving the flag, calling for ‘digital sovereignty’ as they plan the creation of data centres that require vast amounts of energy and fresh water. We need more specific details on what they mean. Trump’s design on our minerals is another example. The Green Party favours long-term thinking about how to develop emerging industries including the deployment of Artificial Intelligence and the manufacture of magnets and clean energy transportation,” said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. She added, “We hope Minister Anand and the PM will be careful before making any commitment to further US hegemony in these industries that will have an enormous effect on our collective future.”
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