As the market for batteries grows, the global race is on to attract new manufacturing facilities and jobs. Canada has all the right ingredients to win the race: a skilled workforce, trade access, critical minerals and strong mining and auto manufacturing sectors.
We initiated the Mines to Mobility Strategy to attract investments that build up Canada’s battery supply chain, from mining and processing raw materials to assembling road-ready electric vehicles. In just the last year, the strategy has attracted $6 billion in planned investments in Canada’s automotive sector, mostly in electric vehicle manufacturing and battery assembly.
To position Canada as a world leader in the global battery economy, a re-elected Liberal government will:
- Build an end-to-end, sustainable battery supply chain, creating opportunities for Canadian workers from mineral extraction through to processing and manufacturing.
- Marshall industry, academia, and government stakeholders to refocus the Mines to Mobility Strategy on attracting near-term multi-billion anchor investments in key areas like minerals processing and cell manufacturing.
- Double the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit for materials on the Canadian list of critical minerals which are essential to the manufacturing of vital clean technologies, such as batteries.
- Establish Canada as a global leader in battery recycling and reuse, to improve the environmental impact and build a competitive advantage.
- Launch a Canada-U.S. Battery Alliance for stakeholders in both countries to identify shared priorities and create environmental requirements that lead to an integrated, world-scale battery supply chain.
- Work with stakeholders to identify new strategic priorities, including future battery types, ways to optimize batteries for cold weather performance and long-duration storage, and applications in heavy-duty vehicles, maritime and air transportation, and consumer goods.
- Address gaps in training and upskilling to ensure that all Canadians workers can take advantage of battery industry opportunities, especially women, Indigenous, and other workers that are under-represented in manufacturing and high-technology sectors.
- Use all tools, including the Investment Canada Act, to ensure the protection and development of our critical minerals from both an economic and national security perspective.
The world is moving quickly toward electrification, from the borers that mine battery minerals to the electric vehicles on our roads. Canada will be at the forefront of the global battery boom, synonymous with high-quality and sustainable batteries and jobs. This means good news for Canadians everywhere: thousands of well-paying jobs and made-in-Canada products for a healthier environment.