SASKATOON –
Justin Trudeau pressed the Saskatchewan government on its record on clean energy projects after Premier Scott Mow expressed disappointment that he was not notified of the prime minister’s visit to a rare earth processing plant.
“There’s work to be done to encourage the Saskatchewan government to see the opportunities that companies and indeed workers see in ΓǪ cleaner jobs, in the opportunities for cleaner energy projects,” Trudeau said Monday after touring a Vital Metals facility in Saskatoon.
“These are things we will continue to work on.
Moe released a statement earlier in the day saying the Saskatchewan Party government was unaware of the prime minister’s visit to the facility. Moe said Saskatchewan is a world leader in critical minerals and rare earth elements.
“It’s disappointing because this is an area where the provincial and federal governments see eye to eye,” Moe said.
Moe has often criticized the Liberal government’s approach to environmental policies on behalf of Saskatchewan’s resource sector.
Last year, Mo published a policy paper outlining his government’s plan to expand its autonomy, and his government introduced a bill that would assert provincial jurisdiction over resources. Saskatchewan’s first act passed second reading in November.
Opposition Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck said Moe’s criticism of the premier’s visit was a missed opportunity to showcase the province’s potential in the industry.
“Everywhere I go, people tell me they’re sick of politicians — at all levels — fomenting division to score political points instead of working together to get real results for the people they represent,” Beck said in statement.
Trudeau said there have been many opportunities to communicate with Moe over the years. The Premier said the Government of Saskatchewan remains an important partner on many different issues.
Both government leaders say Canada and Saskatchewan have important roles to play in responding to supply chain disruptions and shifting demand for reliable access to rare earths and critical minerals.
Lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper and the group of 17 metals and minerals known as rare earth elements are prioritized for investment in exploration, production and processing as part of Canada’s critical minerals strategy.
They are used in solar panels, phones and computers, and in batteries for electric vehicles.
Once fully operational, the Saskatoon plant will receive beneficiated ore from Canada’s first operating rare earth mine, the Nechalacho mine in the Northwest Territories.
Trudeau said the rare earth and critical minerals markets are dominated by China, which is “a bit of a challenging partner at the best of times.” Russia, with its invasion of Ukraine, is no longer a reliable supplier of energy to Europe, he added.
“That’s why the world is looking to Canada. Trudeau said.
Critical minerals were also among the issues Trudeau, US President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador discussed during their summit last week in Mexico.
Canada is not a commercial producer of rare earth elements, although it has some of the largest known deposits.
In 2020, the World Bank predicted that demand for critical minerals used in batteries and clean energy generation would jump 500 percent by 2050.
Read my statement on the Prime Minister’s visit to Saskatchewan today: pic.twitter.com/vUoBKwU2nQ
— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) January 16, 2023
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on January 16, 2023.
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