The Coming Energy Transition: Industry’s Opportunities Are Not Just In Canada

Global policy rhetoric suggests that a great energy transition will soon be underway, driven in large part by electric vehicle (EV) and fuel-efficiency mandates. Shifting away from carbon-emitting fossil fuels toward cleaner, renewable sources of electric energy will require no less than an order of magnitude more mined minerals and rare earth elements, and Canada has a limited share of these transition minerals. Most of North America’s critical transition minerals will have to come from reserves in South America, Africa, and the Caribbean as well as Australia and China, which will see economic growth from mining jobs and capital investments. The authors conclude that Canada’s participation in the energy transition mining market may hinge on the shape of its regulatory and taxation framework for mining companies.