Digging deep: US military buys into Canadian mining

President Joe Biden hosts a virtual roundtable on securing critical minerals at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 22, 2022.
President Joe Biden hosts a virtual roundtable on securing critical minerals at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 22, 2022.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The US military is sinking nearly $15 million into the Canadian mining sector through the Defense Production Act in what is believed to be the first time in the DPA’s 74-year history that the US has used such funds outside the country.

Why? Both Canada and the US have gone all-in on critical minerals in recent years amid growing tensions and anxiety over China and its control of strategic supply chains.

The joint investment with the Canadian government, part of the US-Canadian Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals, covers projects for critical minerals essential to key industries including energy, communications, and defense. These include copper, gold, graphite, and cobalt in Quebec and the Northwest Territories.

For its part, China is watching closely – while still investing its own capital into the Canadian mining sector.

More from GZERO Media

United States President Donald J Trump awaits the arrival Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on November 18, 2025. Featuring: Donald J Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 18 Nov 2025
Credit: Anna Rose Layden/POOL via CNP
A photo taken on September 14, 2024, shows seafood at Jimiya fishing port in Qingdao, China, on September 14, 2024. On September 20, 2024, China and Japan reach a consensus on the issue of the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and China states that it will gradually resume the import of Japanese aquatic products that meet the regulations.
(Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto)
At least 25 people, including three children, were killed in a Russian drone and missile assault on Ternopil, in western Ukraine, overnight on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian rescue services.

The US has apparently been secretly drafting plans with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, per Axios, raising questions of whether Ukraine would accept a deal made without its input.

In this episode of Tools and Weapons, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with Ted Sarandos to discuss how bold leadership and a culture of innovation keep Netflix ahead, not just as a media company, but as a force shaping both industries and audiences. Ted shares how intuition and data combine to turn daring ideas into practical solutions, from scaling storytelling across 190 countries to relentlessly creating content that gets under the skin of viewers and makes them feel deeply connected to the stories they watch. Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.