Conservative Leader Poilievre Proposes National Critical Minerals Reserve to Leverage Trade Deals

OTTAWA, ON — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre delivered an address to business and resource sector leaders Thursday, outlining an alternative national trade and economic strategy focused on the establishment of a Canadian Strategic Critical Minerals and Energy Reserve.

Strategic Resource Stockpile and Allied Trade Leverage

Poilievre argued that Canada has entered bilateral trade negotiations from a position of weakness by failing to leverage its unmatched deposits of lithium, nickel, cobalt, uranium, and rare earth elements. Under the Conservative proposal, the federal government would partner with domestic mining companies to build national reserves of critical battery and defense minerals, offering guaranteed, long-term tariff-free supply agreements to the United States and democratic allies in direct exchange for permanent exemptions from industrial tariffs.

Poilievre criticized the governing Liberals for concessions on domestic retail alcohol policies while failing to secure permanent, binding protections for Canadian steel and forestry workers.

Resource Permitting and Mining Infrastructure

The policy blueprint includes plans to repeal federal environmental assessment legislation (Bill C-69) to reduce mining permit approvals from ten years to eighteen months, unlocking northern mining corridors in Ontario's Ring of Fire and northern Saskatchewan.

Mining and mineral processing associations welcomed the focus on resource infrastructure while calling for bipartisan stability in federal mining taxation.

Parliamentary Scrutiny on Trade Texts

Poilievre confirmed that the Official Opposition will demand full committee disclosure of all side-letters and provincial conditions in the Canada-U.S. trade agreement as soon as the House of Commons resumes.