Agend for critical minerals for defence

Defence rearmament, NATO production targets, and allied security commitments are now directly influencing where capital, industrial capacity, and supply chains are being built. This panel brings together defence, mining, and industrial-security experts to explain how military readiness goals are being translated into real investments, funding programs, and strategic sourcing decisions for critical minerals — and what that means for Canadian and allied producers.

How are NATO and allied defence targets reshaping demand for critical minerals, and which materials are now most strategically critical?
How are defence readiness goals being converted into funding programs, stockpiling strategies, and long-term procurement commitments?
Which parts of the defence value chain—defence platforms, aerospace, electronics, and energy systems—are driving the strongest new demand signals for specific minerals?
What types of projects and jurisdictions are allied governments actively seeking to accelerate to secure supply?
How does secure access to critical minerals underpin military readiness, essential defence technologies, and broader strategic resilience?
How is Canada positioning itself to supply NATO and allied defence partners with strategic minerals—and which materials are emerging as the highest priority?

Chair: Bill Hawkins, Head, Trade and Investment, Sussex Strategy Group

Jody Thomas, Former National Security and Intelligence Advisor and Senior Advisor, Counsel Public Affairs

Hon. Harjit Sajjan, Former Minister of National Defence and Chairman, Juno Industries

Scott Monteith, President and CEO, Avalon Advanced Materials

Nicolas Todd, Head of the Canadian delegation, NATO Industrial Advisory Group and Vice-President, Government Relations and Communications, Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI)

As allied governments elevate critical minerals to defence and industrial priorities, Canada is rapidly aligning its defence, industrial, and critical minerals strategies to support allied supply chains. This session brings together the leaders shaping defence procurement, minerals policy, and industrial strategy to provide an update on key policy developments to support critical minerals for allied defence supply chains.

What are the latest updates on the implementation of Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS)?
How are DND, NRCan, and ISED working together to ensure Canada’s critical minerals strategy aligns with allied defence and industrial needs?
How are defence procurement and industrial policy shaping which minerals, projects, and regions get prioritized?
Where will government policy most directly affect project timelines, approvals, and offtake opportunities?
What should miners and investors be doing now to align with Canada’s defence-aligned supply chain priorities?

Chair: Marcella Munro, Head, Government & Regulatory Affairs, Teck Resources

Kendal Hembroff, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Industry Sector, Innovation

Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)

Andrew Ghattas, Director Critical Minerals Centre of Excellence, Lands and Minerals Sector,

Natural Resources Canada

Wendy Hadwen, Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy-Industry, Department of National Defence

As allied defence production accelerates, critical minerals are among several key inputs and industrial capabilities moving from a background input to a strategic constraint shaping procurement, production timelines, and industrial policy. This panel brings together defence and aerospace primes to discuss evolving approaches to supply chain resilience and how critical minerals, alloys, and specific intermediate goods such as microprocessors, memory, and storage chips must be subjects for long-term defence sourcing strategies.

Where do these critical raw and intermediate materials and goods actually sit within today’s defence supply chains — and what is changing inside OEM sourcing, qualification, and long-term planning as defence demand accelerates?
As defence demand accelerates, the constraint is increasingly not just access to raw materials, but the ability to process, qualify, and deliver them in defence-ready form. Where are the most critical bottlenecks in this midstream layer today, and how are OEMs adapting their sourcing and supply chain strategies in response?
How is the conversation inside defence and aerospace OEMs evolving around critical materials sourcing?
What role do defence primes expect to play in catalyzing secure supply — through partnerships, long-term commitments, or closer engagement with mining and processing?
How are OEM sourcing strategies, government policy tools, and capital deployment evolving to address these midstream constraints — particularly in processing, refining, and component-level manufacturing — and what more is needed to ensure materials can reliably move from mine to defence system?
What policy signals, procurement frameworks, or government tools would make it easier for OEMs to engage directly in defence-aligned mineral and materiel supply chains?
What practical steps can Canadian producers and processors take to qualify as “trusted suppliers” — not just at the raw material level, but in delivering defence-ready materials and components into allied manufacturing systems?

Chair: Anton Sestritsyn, Principal, VOSAVIS

Jeff Tasseron, Director Strategy & Innovation, CAE

Nathan Cardinell, Senior Engineer, Lockheed Martin

Robert Dimitrieff, CEO, Patriot Forge

Kimberley Van Vliet, Founder & CEO, WāVv and Co-Chair, NATO Industrial Advisory Group’s (NIAG)

From NMG’s perspective, what were the key factors that helped move the project from development toward commercialization, and how important were long-term customer demand and strategic partnerships in reducing project risk?
For EDC and CIB, what made this project financeable, and how are public finance institutions adapting their approach to support defence-critical minerals and processing infrastructure?
How are defence priorities, supply chain resilience concerns, and allied industrial policies changing the way governments and lenders evaluate critical minerals projects?
What does this deal signal about the future of financing for strategic critical minerals projects in Canada and the development of secure North American supply chains?

Chair: David Timm, Partner, Energy Practice Lead, Sussex Strategy Group

Eric Desaulniers, Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer, Nouveau Monde Graphite

Ashley Glen, Director of Structured and Project Finance, Export Development Canada (EDC)

Divya Shah, Managing Director, Investments, Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB)

How is Torngat Metals advancing the Strange Lake project and positioning it within emerging allied defence supply chains?
How is demand from defence and strategic industries changing the way VAC evaluates future supply partners and long-term sourcing relationships?
What are the biggest challenges in building secure permanent magnet value chains outside China — and where is meaningful progress actually being made?
Where does Canada realistically fit within emerging allied rare earth and permanent magnet supply chains?
Why is magnet manufacturing increasingly viewed as one of the most strategic bottlenecks in defence-critical supply chains?

Chair: Adrienne Baker, Director, Energy and Mines

Erik Eschen, CEO, VAC

Christine Burow, Chief Marketing Officer, Torngat Metals

Canada and its allies are increasingly treating critical minerals projects as strategic infrastructure tied to defence readiness, industrial resilience, and secure supply chains. Governments are introducing new financing tools, mandates, and partnerships to accelerate projects — but private capital remains essential to scaling the sector. This panel brings together leaders from public and private capital to discuss how defence priorities are changing mining finance, what investors are looking for in this new environment, and how projects can position themselves to attract long-term strategic capital.

How are defence and allied industrial priorities changing the way capital is being allocated into critical minerals projects?
What signals are giving investors greater confidence in defence-critical minerals — and where do the biggest financing gaps still remain?
From a private capital perspective, what differentiates projects that are attracting investment today from those that are struggling to secure funding?
How are public investment vehicles like Canada Growth Fund and BDC helping de-risk projects and crowd in institutional and private capital?
Are we seeing a shift from traditional commodity-cycle investing toward longer-term strategic supply chain investing tied to defence and industrial policy?
What role do downstream partnerships, offtake agreements, processing strategies, and allied cooperation now play in investment decisions?
How should mining companies position themselves if they want to access strategic or defence-aligned pools of capital over the next 3–5 years?

Chair: Jeff Gaulin, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Vale Base Metals

Istvan Zollei, Managing Partner, Chief Investment Officer, Orion Resource Partners

Peter Suma, Managing Partner, StrongNorth Fund, BDC Capital

Christopher Baker, Senior Director, Canada Growth Fund Investment Management (CGFIM)

Jacqueline Murray, Partner, Head of Fund, Resource Capital Funds

As defence and allied governments shift from open markets to strategically managed supply chains, security demand is becoming a powerful new market signal for critical minerals. This panel will examine how defence-driven offtake, public capital, and industrial policy are reshaping project risk, investment decisions, and commercial pathways for critical minerals.

How is defence-driven demand changing how banks, investors, and OEMs evaluate mining projects compared with traditional commodity or EV-focused markets?
What defence-aligned signals (offtake commitments, stockpiling, loan guarantees, qualification requirements) are most influential in determining which projects can raise capital?
How does defence demand change project risk, timelines, and development decisions for miners and their financial partners?
Is security the new ESG? How might investors quantify geopolitical and supply-chain risk—and how could that reshape project valuation and cost of capital?
Where are defence OEMs and allied buyers most likely to engage — upstream mining, midstream processing, or materials qualification and integration?
What role should government tools (offtake, price floors, guarantees, strategic investment) play in making projects bankable — and are there any risks to over-reliance on public backing?

Chair: Michael Gullo, Vice President of Policy, Business Council of Canada

Brian Gabriel, EVP, Partnerships and Market Strategy, Principal Mineral

Eric Miller, CEO, Global Battery Materials

Max Yerrill, Vice President, BMO Capital Markets

Marc Dupuis, Senior Defence Advisor, Arctech Accelerate

Jocelyn Douhéret, Director of Mining Policies, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests, Government of Quebec

As defence demand begins to open new pathways to market, critical minerals producers are assessing the opportunities and challenges for defence offtakes, funding and partnerships. This panel provides insight into key considerations for critical minerals miners as the defence-critical minerals shift opens up new possibilities and risks.

What are miners trying to understand about accessing defence markets and qualifying for defence end customers?
What do early signals or interactions (with governments, OEMs, processors) indicate about defence as a potential market?
What are the strategic opportunities and risks for becoming part of the defence value chain - and how does this differ from traditional industrial, EV, or commodity markets?
How are global trade dynamics, tariffs, and geopolitical shifts influencing the opportunities for critical minerals in the defence sector?
How are current regulatory and funding mechanisms supporting defence-critical minerals projects — and where are they falling short?

Chair: Todd Stone, President and CEO, Association for Mineral Exploration BC (AME)

Gordana Slepcev, Chief Executive Officer, Lomiko Metals

Ian Gibbs, President and CEO, Fireweed Metals

Darby Stacey, CEO, Talon Metals

Dirk Harbecke, Chairman, Rock Tech Lithium

John Passalacqua, CEO, First Phosphate

As critical minerals increasingly support defence supply chains, First Nations are being asked to engage with new types of projects across mining, infrastructure, and processing. This panel explores what opportunities First Nations see emerging from this shift, where concerns or challenges may exist, and what conditions are needed for Nations to partner in ways that align with community priorities and long-term stewardship.

As critical minerals become increasingly tied to defence and allied industrial strategy, how do First Nations want to shape — not just participate in — the future of these projects and supply chains?
What distinguishes a meaningful long-term partnership from a transactional approach when governments and industry engage First Nations on critical minerals projects tied to strategic or defence priorities?
As governments push to accelerate critical minerals development, how can project timelines and strategic objectives be balanced with Indigenous consent, stewardship, and community-led decision-making?
Beyond mining itself, where do First Nations see the greatest opportunities to participate across the broader value chain — including infrastructure, processing, energy, logistics, procurement, and ownership?
What conditions need to be in place for critical minerals projects to create lasting economic and community value for First Nations — particularly in areas such as equity participation, training, environmental protection, and long-term governance?
How should governments and industry think differently about “secure” or “trusted” critical minerals supply chains when Indigenous partnership and stewardship are essential to project success?

Chair: Hon. Arif Virani, Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Current Senior Counsel, Torys LLP

Bruce Achneepineskum, Chief, Marten Falls First Nation

Bruce Archibald, Chief, Taykwa Tagamou Nation

Michael Fox, Founder, Indigenous Community Engagement (ICE)

Lorraine Whitehead, Chief, Webequie First Nation

Defence supply chains are only as secure as their processing and refining capacity — and today, most of that capacity still sits in non-trusted jurisdictions. This session examines how allied governments and defence industries are beginning to confront the processing gap, and what types of funding, offtake and industrial policy tools are emerging to make defence-critical processing viable in allied jurisdictions. It will also explore how this shift is creating new commercial opportunities for miners and midstream developers and how advanced processing is enabling a shift from raw materials supply toward defence-ready manufacturing capability across allied jurisdictions.

As defence demand moves from strategy into procurement, there is increasing pressure to build and scale processing and refining capacity outside non-trusted jurisdictions. This panel examines the challenges of building defence-ready midstream projects — including capital, energy, permitting, and offtake — where commercial and strategic opportunities are emerging and how advanced materials manufacturing is becoming the new strategic layer between processing and defence OEM procurement.

● Where are the biggest opportunities right now to build defence-critical processing and refining capacity — and which minerals are most attractive for new projects?

● What are the biggest barriers to building processing capacity — power, permitting, technology, or financing — and how are they being addressed?

● How are allied governments and defence OEMs using offtake, guarantees, and industrial policy to make midstream projects investable?

● How does defence demand change the economics of midstream projects compared to battery, EV, or commercial industrial markets?

● What new kinds of partnerships are emerging between miners, processors, and defence buyers to accelerate project development?

Chair: Heather Smiles, Vice President, IR & Corporate Development, Electra Battery Materials

Richard Rocha, Principal, Azimuth Capital Management

Trent Mell, CEO, Electra Battery Materials
Dan Blondal, CEO, Nano One Materials Corp.

Nathan Cardinell, Senior Staff Materials Engineer, Lockheed Martin

As defence demand grows and geopolitical risks persist, recycling, secondary refining, and by-product recovery will play an essential role in defence supply chains. This panel will explore how circular supply chains can enhance security, lower environmental impact, and create new commercial pathways for defence-critical minerals.

● Where are the most promising opportunities for recycling and by-product recovery to meaningfully contribute to defence-critical minerals supply in the near to medium term?

● What are the biggest technical, regulatory, and economic barriers to scaling recycling of defence-critical metals like gallium, niobium, tungsten, and rare earths?

● How should governments structure funding, procurement, or incentives to make recycling and by-product recovery commercially viable?

● What role should defence OEMs play in designing products and systems that make critical metals easier to recover at end-of-life?

● How can Canada position itself as a leader in circular defence supply chains — and what partnerships are needed between miners, refiners, recyclers, and government to get there?

Chair: David Anonychuk, Senior Vice President - Advisory and Growth, North America, DRA Global

Gillian Holcroft, CEO and Co-Founder, Green Graphite Technologies

Alex Forstner, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Cyclic Materials

Dawn Wellman, Senior Fellow, Critical Minerals and Materials, Savannah River National Laboratory

Robin Goad, President & CEO, Fortune Minerals

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AGENDA, DAY 1, JUNE 9TH

WELCOME TO TERRITORY

CHAIR'S OPENING REMARKS

DEFENCE DEMAND SIGNALS FOR CRITICAL MINERALS

KEYNOTE PANEL: DEFENCE DRIVEN DEMAND FOR CRITICAL MINERALS

ALLIED COOPERATION AND INVESTMENT

EUROPE'S INVESTMENT STRATEGY FOR DEFENCE-CRITICAL MINERALS

STRATEGIES AND OPPORTUNITIES FROM THE GERMAN RAW MATERIALS FUND

NETWORKING BREAK

U.S. DEFENCE POLICY SIGNALS AND INVESTMENT PATHWAYS FOR CRITICAL MINERALS

STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS IN DEFENCE AND CRITICAL MINERALS

CANADA'S DEFENCE CRITICAL MINERALS STRATEGY

ALIGNING DEFENCE, INDUSTRIAL POLICY, AND CRITICAL MINERALS

MINISTERIAL REMARKS

NETWORKING LUNCH

DEFENCE SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE AND OEM STRATEGIES

OPERATIONALIZING CANADA’S MINERAL ADVANTAGE IN NATO SUPPLY CHAINS

BUILDING RESILIENT, DEFENCE-READY CRITICAL MINERALS SUPPLY CHAINS

PANEL: DEFENCE SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE AND OEM STRATEGIES

FINANCING DEFENCE-CRITICAL MINERALS

FINANCING DEFENCE-CRITICAL MINERALS

HOW DEFENCE DEMAND IS CHANGING MINING FINANCE

FIRESIDE CHAT: DEFENCE DEMAND DRIVING MINE COMMERCIALIZATION

FIRESIDE CHAT: FROM MINE TO MARKET: A DEFENCE-ALIGNED RARE EARTH PARTNERSHIP

NETWORKING BREAK

MOBILIZING PUBLIC-PRIVATE CAPITAL FOR DEFENCE-CRITICAL MINERALS

MOBILIZING PUBLIC-PRIVATE CAPITAL FOR DEFENCE-CRITICAL MINERALS

DEFENCE AS A MARKET MAKER FOR CRITICAL MINERALS

DEFENCE AS A MARKET MAKER FOR CRITICAL MINERALS

NETWORKING DRINKS

AGENDA, DAY 2, JUNE 10TH

NETWORKING BREAKFAST

CHAIR'S REMARKS

GEOPOLITICS, INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY, AND THE DEFENCE-CRITICAL MINERALS SHIFT

FROM EFFICIENCY TO ENDURANCE: WASHINGTON’S RECALIBRATION OF SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE

EU CRITICAL MINERALS PRIORITIES FOR MILITARY APPLICATIONS

MOBILIZING UK EXPORT FINANCE FOR DEFENCE-CRITICAL MINERALS SUPPLY CHAINS

NETWORKING BREAK

HOW DEFENCE IS RESHAPING THE CRITICAL MINERALS LANDSCAPE

THE DEFENCE SHIFT: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR MINING

THE DEFENCE SHIFT: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR MINING

CASE STUDY: THE DEFENCE SHIFT AND STRATEGIC COPPER SUPPLY

FIRST NATIONS PARTNERSHIPS AND DEFENCE-ALIGNED CRITICAL MINERALS

FIRST NATIONS PARTNERSHIPS AND DEFENCE-ALIGNED CRITICAL MINERALS

NETWORKING LUNCH

PROCESSING CRITICAL MINERALS FOR DEFENCE SUPPLY CHAINS

PROCESSING CRITICAL MINERALS FOR DEFENCE SUPPLY CHAINS

CASE STUDY: BUILDING A DEFENCE-READY COBALT REFINERY

PANEL: SCALING AND FINANCING DEFENCE-READY PROCESSING CAPACITY

RECYCLING, REFINING & BY-PRODUCT RECOVERY

RECYCLING, REFINING & BY-PRODUCT RECOVERY FOR DEFENCE SUPPLY CHAINS

TURNING MINE WASTE INTO DEFENCE METALS

PANEL: RECYCLING, REFINING & BY-PRODUCT RECOVERY FOR DEFENCE

CHAIR’S CLOSING REMARKS

WRAP-UP DRINKS