Establishing a critical minerals industry: Review of Canada's administrative and legal efforts at the national and sub-national levels

This review article addresses Canada's domestic and foreign critical minerals policies. We identify a gap in the existing literature on the role of the federal government and sub-national entities in defining priorities, addressing risks, and promoting industrial developments of critical minerals. Based on an extensive literature review of these minerals and their production in Canada, as well as the identification of 26 federal, provincial, territorial, and First Nation documents guiding critical minerals developments, we provide a detailed analysis of the dynamics at stake in the sector. First we find that research specific to critical minerals is lacking in Canada. While studies on the mining sector are well developed, the focus is not on critical minerals but on overarching mining topics. Second, we identify a unique case in Canada where national and sub-national entities drive the critical minerals discussion, reinforcing each other in common areas and complementing each other in other topics. Third, we point to the focus on collaboration, information-sharing, and responsible production of the Canadian domestic and foreign engagement in critical Minerals.