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HOW DEFENCE SPENDING IS DRIVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CRITICAL MINERALS 

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CONNECTING MINING, DEFENCE, GOVERNMENT AND FINANCE

Rising geopolitical risk, NATO commitments, and supply-chain vulnerability are accelerating defence-aligned demand for critical minerals with strategic applications, elevating their role as essential inputs to secure and resilient allied supply chains. This is a structural, long-term shift which is becoming a dominant driver of policy, capital and procurement for critical minerals.


Critical Minerals for Defence, June 9–10 at the Marriott Downtown CF Toronto Eaton Centre, will provide a unique Forum for mining leaders, investors, defence suppliers, and government to explore how defence demand is unlocking new opportunities for critical minerals and redefining Canada’s role in allied defence supply chains.



This two-day conference will deliver key policy updates and actionable insights on how projects can be financed, qualified, and connected to long-term offtake with defence and industrial buyers. It will also examine the strategic, commercial, and industrial forces reshaping demand for defence-critical minerals — from geopolitics and government policy to processing, financing, and procurement. Key topics include:

  • Defence Driven Demand for Critical Minerals
  • Allied Cooperation and Investment
  • Progressing Canada’s Defence-Critical Minerals Strategy
  • Defence Supply Chain Resilience and OEM Strategies
  • Financing Defence-Critical Minerals 
  • Mobilizing Public-Private Capital for Defence-Critical Minerals
  • Defence as a Market Maker for Critical Minerals 
  • The Defence Shift: Opportunities and Challenges for Mining 
  • First Nations Partnerships and Defence-Aligned Critical Minerals 
  • Processing Critical Minerals for Defence Supply Chains
  • Recycling, Refining and By-Product Recovery for Defence Supply Chains
  • Next Steps for Critical Minerals Miners in the Defence Supply Chain


EXPERT SPEAKER LINE-UP INCLUDES:

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Jody Thomas

Former National Security and Intelligence Advisor and Senior Advisor

Counsel Public Affairs

Logo for Defence, Security & Resilience Bank Development Group, featuring a geometric icon and text.
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Kevin Reed

President and Chief Operations Officer,

Defence, Security & Resilience Bank (DSRB) Development Group

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Man in a light purple dress shirt, smiling, against a white background.

Kendal Hembroff

Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Industry Sector

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)

Tomasz Husak

Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS)

 EU Commission

Jan Klasen

First Vice President

KfW

Isabella Chan

 Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Lands and Minerals Sector

Natural Resources Canada

Yves Leduc

CEO

Torngat Metals

Jeff Tasseron

Director Strategy & Innovation

CAE

Margaret Sault

Chief

Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation

Abigail Hunter

Executive Director, Center for Critical Minerals Strategy

SAFE

Peter Suma

Senior Advisor, StrongNorth Fund

BDC Capital

Nicolas Todd

Head of the Canadian Delegation

NATO Industrial Advisory Group

Vice-President, Government Relations and Communications

Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI)

Christopher Hernandez-Roy

Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Americas Program

Centre for Strategic & International Studies

Hank Holland

CEO

Amaero Advanced Materials

Drew Horn

CEO

GreenMet

Scott Monteith

President and CEO

Avalon Advanced Materials

Gordana Slepcev

CEO and Director

Lomiko Metals

Henri van Rooyen

CEO

Talon Metals

Dawn Wellman

Manager - Research and Development

Rio Tinto

Robin Goad

CEO

Fortune Minerals

Jeff Gaulin

Vice President of Corporate Affairs

Vale Base Metals

Brian Gabriel

EVP, Partnerships and Market Strategy

Principal Mineral

Eric Miller

CEO

Global Battery Materials

Nathan Cardinell

Senior Staff Materials Engineer

Lockheed Martin

Eric Eschen

CEO

VAC

WHAT WILL THE FORUM COVER?

SPONSORS

THOUGHT LEADER

SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONS

Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation. Minister Responsible for Ring of Fire

Assistant Deputy Minister,

Policy-Industry,

Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation. Minister Responsible for Ring of Fire

President and COO

Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation. Minister Responsible for Ring of Fire

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Thought Leadership Opportunities

Energy and Mines partners with organizations looking to build profile and thought leadership in the critical minerals sector. To explore opportunities and bespoke packages, contact events@energyandmines.com

Forum FAQs

  • When is the Forum?

    June 9th - 10th ,  2026

  • What is the venue?

    Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, 525 Bay St., Toronto, ON M5G 2L2

  • Who are the organizers?

    Energy and Mines is an Ottawa-based B2B conference company focused on driving opportunities for mining and energy through in-depth content and high-caliber events. This Forum is part of the Energy and Mines Critical Minerals event series which also includes the BC  Critical Minerals Forum, April 14-15, Vancouver and the Ontario Critical Minerals Forum November 24-25, Toronto

  • How do I register?

    Registration is available via the  REGISTER page. 

    For registration assistance, drop a message to events@energyandmines.com.

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