Joint Statement by Minister Hodgson and Executive Vice President Séjourné
Statement
March 2, 2026 Toronto, Ontario Natural Resources Canada
On the margins of PDAC 2026 in Toronto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Stéphane Séjourné, and Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson, met to advance EU-Canada cooperation on critical raw materials and industrial policy.
During a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, they underscored the importance of multilateralism and opportunities for middle powers to work together to ensure resiliency and security. Within this context, they reaffirmed the EU-Canada Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials and Canada and the EU’s shared commitment to resilient, sustainable, and diversified supply chains. They noted the significant role of coordination with like-minded partners, including the G7 Critical Minerals Production Alliance, in global efforts to scale up responsible production, processing, and downstream value chains.
Discussions covered opportunities across the full value chain, including bilateral trade and investment facilitation, regulatory cooperation, innovation, and high environmental, social and governance standards, and underlined the strategic importance of critical raw materials for economic security and competitiveness. The Letter of Intent signed today between the European Investment Bank and the Government of Canada signals the importance of cooperation on critical raw materials and is a key milestone towards further securing reliable and sustainable supply chains.
Progress on the EU-Canada Industrial Policy Dialogue, announced at the June 2025 Summit, was welcomed. It will provide a platform to strengthen competitiveness, address shared challenges, and reinforce supply chain resilience in strategic sectors.
The parties reaffirmed their commitment to reducing regulatory barriers and promoting engagement with industry and stakeholders. They will remain in close contact to further strengthen cooperation in support of secure supply chains, bilateral investment and trade, industrial competitiveness, and sustainable growth.