October 31, 2025                                                   Toronto, Ontario

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Thank you, Julie [Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]. It is always a pleasure to share the stage with you. Hello everyone, bonjour. Thank you for being here today.

For the past two days, G7 energy and environment ministers have come together here in Toronto to hold productive meetings on key issues including critical minerals, innovation, energy security and artificial intelligence.

These discussions are happening at a pivotal moment for the global economy.

Energy markets are being reshaped by conflict, technology and the accelerating drive toward net zero. Citizens around the world need secure and affordable energy; investors need the conditions that make it possible to deploy capital; and governments must deliver economic growth while reducing emissions.

It is fair to say none of this is easy. It is also fair to say it is much harder — and less effective — if every nation must tackle these challenges alone.

Throughout this week, Canada’s message has been clear: we are committed to building a fair, secure and sustainable energy future, and we are ready to work with allies to turn ambition into outcomes.

Over the last two days, we tackled the risks and opportunities shaping our energy future and the critical minerals supply chain. So let me highlight what we’ve achieved together in a remarkably short time.

Before I get into the specifics of some incredible projects we are advancing with our G7 partners, I want to preface it by talking about Canada’s broader action to safeguard our national security and sovereignty.

Today, we are announcing that the Government of Canada has issued an Order in Council under the Defence Production Act officially designating critical minerals as essential to Canadian defence and national interests. This enables Canada to launch our own defence stockpiling regime and to support multilateral stockpiling efforts.

These measures will strengthen our capabilities in strategic sectors and contribute to NATO and defence spending commitments. By protecting domestic production under volatile global conditions, we ensure a secure supply of critical minerals to Canadian and allied defence industries.

Furthering these economic and security objectives, I am also very pleased to announce today the first round of 26 new strategic projects, investments and measures under the G7 Critical Minerals Production Alliance and the Critical Minerals Action Plan.

Since its inception in June, the G7 Critical Minerals Production Alliance — or as I like to call it, the Buyers’ Club — has named a network of envoys tasked with facilitating business-to-business partnerships and mobilizing private and public capital.

Our countries have worked intensively over the last five months to deliver real deals and actions — with substantial financial and political commitments — that testify to the real strength of the G7 alliance and positive multilateralism in action.

This first round of G7 Alliance projects sends the world a very clear signal: we are serious about reducing market concentration and dependencies; safeguarding national security and sovereignty; mobilizing capital; and driving investments in sustainable critical minerals projects.

Working with our allies, we are unlocking $6.4 billion in critical minerals projects that are essential in the defence and advanced manufacturing sectors. This includes the following project proponents, who are all here with us today:

• Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie Mine near Montreal, Quebec, with investments and offtake arrangements with the Canadian government and the government of Japan, as well as Panasonic and Traxys (Luxembourg), to support the diversification of global graphite supply chains and security of graphite supply for Canadian use.
• Rio Tinto’s pilot plant in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, which will enter into commercial-scale production to increase the reliable supply of scandium to Canada and our allies, supported by a $25-million investment from the Canada Growth Fund and an offtake agreement with the Government of Canada.
• For the Strange Lake Project in Nunavik, Quebec, where Torngat Metals produces and processes essential rare earth elements, an offtake and technological collaboration agreement is being signed with Carestar, a French rare earths processor.
• Northern Graphite’s Lac des Iles project near Montreal, Quebec, where the company produces Northern America’s sole supply of natural graphite, is entering into an offtake arrangement with Alkeemia in Italy.
• Ucore Rare Metals’ rare earths processing facility expansion in Kingston, Ontario, supported by federal investments from Natural Resources Canada and the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario, as well as agreements with companies in Germany, Australia and the United States. The Government of Ontario has also committed to expediting the regulatory permitting to accelerate the development of this project.
• And finally, I am thrilled to announce that Vianode will be building their first-ever synthetic graphite facility — a $2-billion project. And they’re choosing to do it right here in Ontario, in St. Thomas, with the support of both Canada and Germany — evidence of the fact that Canada offers a top-tier investment environment.

Supply chain security is something we have long talked about. Well, we are no longer just talking. We are acting.

Today is a proof of concept: now it is time to sustain and accelerate progress, including as we get closer to the PDAC mining conference in March [the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention to be held March 1–4, 2026, in Toronto].

There are a number of promising areas for progress. For example, we’ve been working closely with Teck to expand capacity at their Trail Smelter in B.C. to produce niche minerals like germanium and gallium and antimony, where mechanisms like stockpiling or floor pricing will be necessary to proceed to a construction decision.

These are the types of projects this Alliance will need to enable going forward.

The Production Alliance proves that G7 nations are turning vulnerability into strength and transforming access to critical minerals into a strategic advantage for our economies, our environments, our industries and our sovereignty.

As we move swiftly to reduce dependence on concentrated supply chains, our collective commitment is clear: every delay is a concession of economic and national security interests, and we will no longer accept that.

Instead, we will lead the way with projects that meet the highest possible environmental and labour standards so we can build our economic competitiveness, ensure responsible mining and manufacturing and protect our supply chains while we grow our collective resilience.

We have also moved forward on the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan, introduced by our respective leaders in Kananaskis in June, by endorsing the Roadmap to Promote Standards-Based Markets for Critical Minerals.

We are committing to filling targeted innovation gaps in critical minerals research and development, with a focus on processing and recycling.

In this spirit, Canada has also announced nearly $20 million in support over the last two days for seven projects involving companies and institutions from Canada, Ukraine, the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. I want to repeat these numbers: 26 deals; nine countries represented; $6.4 billion in Canadian projects unlocked.

If you need a proof point that the G7 — and multilateralism — remains vital and relevant, this is it. If you are wondering whether a middle power like Canada can truly be a leader, I hope this is an answer.

Throughout the last two days, G7 Energy Ministers have also advanced an ambitious and wide-ranging agenda, as reflected by our five outcome statements.

We have committed to a Call to Action on Enhancing Energy Security; doubled down on our support for Ukrainian energy security with the G7’s first-ever statement specific to that topic; developed a G7 Work Plan on AI and Energy; and, also for the first time ever, advanced alignment on nuclear energy, including agreeing to expand cooperation on fusion energy.

We have also negotiated multiple statements and bilateral agreements to advance our shared goals on energy security, nuclear energy and support for Ukraine.

This includes the Canada–Japan Joint Statement on Energy Security, which strengthens our two nations’ cooperation across sectors including nuclear, batteries and low-carbon LNG. It also includes the launch of a Canada–Italy Energy Dialogue, which will enhance Canadian and Italian cooperation on critical minerals, nuclear energy and other priority areas. And it includes a Joint Declaration of Intent with Australia focused on collaborating on critical minerals production.

I was particularly honoured to have Ukrainian Minister Grynchuk [Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk] with us here in Canada.

As co-chair of the G7+ Ukraine Energy Coordination Group, alongside the European Union, Canada remains steadfast in supporting emergency repairs, physical protection and the scaling-up of renewable energy in Ukraine. To date, we have contributed nearly $22 billion to assist Ukraine since the beginning of this war.

And today, Minister Anand [Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand] announced Canada is expediting the final portion of its $70-million contribution to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, fast-tracking $10 million to help Ukraine repair critical energy infrastructure damaged by Russian strikes.

I will continue to work with Minister Grynchuk to mobilize the Canadian private sector in Ukraine’s reconstruction, including via the large Canadian business delegation travelling to Poland next month for the Rebuild Ukraine Conference.

The task before us was to leave this meeting not only with a common action plan but with real action taken. And that is what we have accomplished.

Canada succeeded in encouraging the G7 to commit to concrete measures, including:

• building resilient supply chains for critical minerals through the Production Alliance;
• mobilizing private capital at scale, including by leveraging public financial institutions and agencies;
• strengthening support for Ukraine; and
• aligning innovation in AI, the nuclear industry and clean electricity.

I was enormously proud to represent Canadians alongside Minister Dabrusin at this meeting and to work to make the very most of this opportunity to position the G7 as the anchor of a rules-based, market-driven and inclusive international order.

There is no doubt that we face great challenges in today’s world. But I leave this meeting even more assured that we really do stand stronger together as a proud, unified G7. 

Now, a quick word for Italy and France.

To Italy, I would like to express our deep gratitude for the leadership you demonstrated throughout the previous G7 presidency. À la France, alors que vous vous apprêtez à prendre le relais de la présidence en deux mille vingt-six, vous pouvez compter sur le Canada pour être un partenaire engagé et fiable. [To France, as you prepare take up the torch of the 2026 Presidency, you can count on Canada to be your committed, reliable partner.]

To conclude, just as the G7 was born out of the oil shocks of the 1970s to provide stability and direction, we are now called to the same task: to lead with unity and act with purpose as we set the tone for the race to 2050 and beyond.

It feels like we are standing on a precipice. So let us use this moment and recommit the G7 to be a force that strengthens our security; delivers our citizens prosperity; and lays the foundation for a sustainable, reliable energy future.

Merci beaucoup, thank you. And most importantly, let’s go Blue Jays!

Now, I will turn it over to our moderator for media questions.