Climate Change & the Environment  /  Jobs, Businesses, & Labour

Mining and minerals platforms

Here's what the 2025 Canadian election parties are promising.

Liberal

  • Create a First-and-Last Mile Fund to connect critical mineral projects to supply chains and directly support mineral and clean energy projects

    "connecting critical mineral projects to supply chains via a new First and Last Mile Fund (FLMF), creating a more integrated and accessible Canadian economy;

    directly supporting clean energy and critical minerals projects via the FLMF, reducing our reliance on other countries and protecting Canadian jobs;"

    liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-14

    "Kickstart the clean energy supply chain by investing in critical minerals, attracting investment in critical minerals to get them from “rock to road” faster, supporting early-stage mining companies, and supporting thousands of jobs across the supply chain. To get the vital components needed to build Canada strong, we will:

    1. Connect critical mineral projects to supply chains through a new First and Last Mile Fund (FLMF). This will make more projects viable and create a more integrated and accessible Canadian economy.
    2. Directly support clean energy and critical mineral projects through the FLMF, reducing our reliance on other countries and protecting Canadian jobs. This will include supporting on-site development, processing, and refining capacity.
    3. Accelerate exploration and extraction, including investing in prospecting activities and recovering valuable minerals from end-of-life products like mining waste and batteries, contributing to a circular economy."

    liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-23

  • Sign agreements with all willing provinces, territories, and Indigenous governing bodies to ensure projects go through only one review

    "Sign Cooperation and Substitution Agreements with all willing provinces, territories, and Indigenous Governing Bodies within six months, ensuring that projects only go through one review that uphold environmental standards and Indigenous Consultation. This will include upholding Canada’s world class environmental protections and Indigenous People’s constitutional rights." — liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-16

    "Move forward with One Project, One Review. Within six months, we will sign Cooperation and Substitution Agreements with all willing Premiers, as well as Indigenous Governing Bodies, allowing the federal government to recognize provincial, territorial, and Indigenous-led assessments. It will reinforce the rigours of Canada’s system that protects the environment, guarantees Indigenous consultation and involvement, and builds community buy-in. This is a bonus for investors because it provides long-term certainty, which compared to growing uncertainty in the U.S., provides a distinct Canadian advantage." — liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-21

  • Create a Major Federal Project Office as a single application portal for big projects, issuing decisions on projects within two years

    "Establish a Major Federal Project Office to advance a One Project, One Review approach which will provide efficiency and certainty for investors. This office will have a strong new mandate to:

    » act as a “One Window” application portal for project proponents to reduce duplication and paperwork when seeking decisions and permits for major projects;

    » issue decisions on major projects within two years instead of five - including additional approvals outside of the Impact Assessment Act - while fully upholding environmental integrity and Indigenous rights;

    » shift the project review focus “why” to “how”;"

    liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-16

    "Require the new Major Federal Project Office to render final decisions on projects on a maximum two-year timeline, much faster than the former government’s five-year timeline. This will include where other federal decisions are required, including under the Fisheries Act, the Species at Risk Act, and other federal legislation." — liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-21

  • Jointly identify projects of national interest with provinces, territories, and Indigenous peoples, and fast-track them

    "Protect our economic sovereignty by unlocking projects that grow our economy. We will work with provinces and territories and Indigenous Peoples to establish a list of nation-building projects that span provincial and territorial boundaries and deliver major economic and strategic benefits to Canadians. Long project approval timelines in Canada create significant investment uncertainty, hindering the rapid response needed to address today’s global economic shifts. We will prioritize funding and assessment resources for these projects on an expedited basis." — liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-21

  • Increase funding to $40M/year for Indigenous capacity to engage on projects early and consistently through the Impact Assessment Agency

    "Increase capacity for Indigenous communities to engage on projects early and consistently. This will include:

    » increasing funding, to $40 million per year, for Indigenous capacity to engage on projects early and consistently through the Impact Assessment Agency." — liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-16

  • Provide additional investments and expand existing tax credits for critical mineral exploration and extraction

    "attracting, expanding and de-risking investment in critical mineral exploration and extraction with additional investments in and expansion of existing tax credits." — liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-14

    "Attract, expand, and derisk investments in critical minerals exploration and extraction through the expansion of existing tax credits. We will do this by:

    1. Broadening the Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit by expanding qualifying minerals to include critical minerals necessary for defence, semiconductors, energy, and other clean technologies.
    2. Expanding eligible activities under Canadian exploration expenses to include the costs of technical studies, such as engineering, economic and feasibility studies for critical minerals projects.
    3. Modifying the Clean Technology Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit to include critical mineral mine development expenses for brownfield sites while expanding the list of priority critical minerals. This will accelerate how we get critical minerals from “rock to road” and will create good jobs."

    liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-23

  • Provide funding for projects of national and economic significance, and use the Canada Growth Fund for critical minerals projects

    "Invest in ourselves by providing funding for projects of national and economic significance and leveraging the Canada Growth Fund to accelerate private investment in Canadian critical minerals projects. This will deliver strong value for taxpayers and make Canada an even more attractive market for investments." — liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-23

  • Work with project owners, provinces, territories, & Indigenous partners to do proactive remediation and rehabilitation work at project sites

    "Work with project proponents, provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners to do proactive remediation and rehabilitation work at project sites so projects move faster" — liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-16

  • Work with provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners on a corridor for transport, energy, critical minerals, and digital connectivity

    "Develop a trade and energy corridor, along with provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners, for transport, energy, critical minerals, and digital connectivity, including through the Trade Diversification Corridor Fund;" — liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-16

  • Invest in prospecting for mineral exploration and extraction from recycling

    "accelerating exploration, as well as extraction from recycling, by investing in prospecting activities;" — liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-14

Conservative

  • Create a single office to handle all regulatory approvals across all levels of government
  • Implement one application and one environmental review per project

    "One application. End duplication – There will be one application and one environmental review per project, ensuring efficiency without sacrificing environmental standards. Instead of multiple overlapping studies that stall projects, governments will work together to deliver a single, effective review." — conservative.ca, retrieved 2025-04-17

  • Approve ten specific priority projects

    "Some of the priority projects a Poilievre government will work with proponents and First Nations to approve:

    1. LNG Canada Phase II Expansion Project (BC): Aims to double LNG output but faces power supply challenges and output limitations related to the emissions cap.
    2. Suncor Base Mine Extension (Alberta): Expansion of an existing mine anticipated to produce 225,000 barrels per day of bitumen froth. Under assessment with the IAAC since 2020.
    3. Rook 1 Uranium Mine (Saskatchewan): A development-stage uranium project expected to be a major source of low-cost uranium. Approval process started in 2019 with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
    4. Springpole Lake Gold (Ontario): A proposed gold and silver mine with an on-site metal mill. Under assessment with the IAAC since 2018.
    5. Upper Beaver Gold Mine (Ontario): A proposed underground and gold and copper mine. Under assessment with the IAAC since 2021.
    6. Northern Road Link (Ontario): A proposed all-season, multi-use road in northern Ontario. Under assessment with the IAAC since 2023.
    7. Crawford Nickel Project (Ontario): A proposed nickel-cobalt mine with an on-site metal mill. Under assessment with the IAAC since 2022.
    8. Troilus Gold and Copper Mine (Quebec): A proposed gold and copper mine. Under assessment with the IAAC since 2022.
    9. Sorel-Tracy Port Terminal (Quebec): A proposed new port terminal in the industrial-port area of Sorel-Tracy. Under assessment with the IAAC since 2022.
    10. Cape Ray Gold and Silver Mine (Newfoundland): A proposed gold and silver mine with a milling complex. Under assessment with the IAAC since 2017."

    conservative.ca, retrieved 2025-04-17

  • Create pre-approved zones for businesses to build mines, power stations, LNG terminals, pipelines, or other major projects

    "Today Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre revealed his plan to create ‘Canada Shovel Ready Zones.’ These zones will be areas already permitted for construction, meaning the permits will not just take less time, but will already be completed when a company decides to build a mine, LNG terminal or pipeline, bringing home thousands of jobs for Canadian workers and taking back control of our economy from the Americans.

    Poilievre described how his Canada First Conservative Government will get the Canada Shovel Ready Zones done:

    1. Identify a location that makes sense for a power station, LNG plant, pipeline, or another major project.
    2. Make sure it is safe for Canadians and the environment.
    3. Work with other levels of government to lock down zoning and permits in advance of construction.
    4. Offer pre-permitting before even getting an application so that permits could be published online with a checklist that businesses would have to complete in order to protect nature and people.

    This means businesses could buy the land, move in, hire people and build, knowing they already have the permits."

    conservative.ca, retrieved 2025-04-17

  • Build the road to Ontario's Ring of Fire and approve federal permits to mine chromite, cobalt, nickel, copper, and platinum

    "Build the road to Ontario’s Ring of Fire and approve federal permits to harvest chromite, cobalt, nickel, copper, and platinum boosting our economy by billions of dollars, allowing us to become less dependent on the Americans, while our allies overseas would no longer have to rely on hostile regimes for these metals, turning dollars for dictators into paycheques for our people." — Change, retrieved 2025-04-23

Bloc

  • Proposer que l’aluminium obtienne le même statut que l’acier dans l’ACEUM

    Le Bloc Québécois réitère que l’aluminium devrait obtenir le

    même statut que l’acier dans l’ACEUM, c’est-à-dire

    qu’il doive être coulé et fondu localement pour être

    considéré comme fabriqué en Amérique du Nord.

  • Élargir les pouvoirs de l’ombudsman de la responsabilité des entreprises afin de punir les crimes commis à l’étranger par des compagnies canadiennes, notamment dans l’industrie minière et le diamant et dans le secteur énergétique
  • Donner un traitement privilégié à l’aluminium carboneutre dont le procédé est inventé au Québec dans les conditions d’octroi de contrats publics et de subventions par le gouvernement fédéral
  • Défendre la souveraineté du Québec sur ses sols et ses ressources naturelles, incluant les minéraux critiques et les terres rares

    Le Bloc Québécois va défendre la souveraineté du Québec sur ses sols et ses ressources naturelles, incluant les minéraux critiques et les terres rares, et réitère que le fédéral n’a pas la légitimité de développer seul des stratégies pancanadiennes ni de négocier l’accès à nos ressources avec d’autres États.

NDP

  • Set a standard of free, prior, and informed consent for all decisions affecting constitutionally-protected land rights

    "We will replace mere consultation with a standard of free, prior and informed consent, including for all decisions affecting constitutionally protected land rights, like energy project reviews. Opportunities and benefits of projects should go to the communities that want them, not the CEOs and billionaires who force them through." — ndp.ca, retrieved 2025-04-19

  • Develop sector specific industrial strategies for energy, mining, manufacturing, buildings, and transportation, with workers at the table, to speed up Canada's clean energy transition and attract new investment

    "New Democrats are committed to our Build Canadian, Buy Canadian Plan to boost our domestic economy and create a stronger and more independent economy. As part of this plan we would develop sector-specific industrial strategies for energy, mining, manufacturing, buildings and transportation, with workers at the table every step along the way, with the goal of accelerating Canada’s clean energy transition and attracting new investment in communities across the country. And we would provide additional supports to train more workers for tomorrow’s green economy. Our goal will be to support good, new jobs in clean industries, and support the decarbonization of essential industries like steelmaking, cement-making, transportation and others." — ndp.ca, retrieved 2025-04-19

We don't have any Green policies on Mining and minerals.

Looking for the parties' positions on other topics?

See our full 2025 Canadian election platform comparison