Merve Gül Aydoğan Ağlarcı
17 June 2026•Update: 17 June 2026
Canada secured new partnerships in defense and critical minerals development during the G7 Leaders' Summit in France, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Wednesday.
According to a statement from Carney's office, "Canada welcomed 13 new partnerships and initiatives with more than eight countries through the Critical Minerals Resilience and Production Alliance."
Launched during Canada's 2025 G7 presidency, the alliance aims to diversify critical mineral supply chains, reduce market concentration and establish a reliable buyers' club to attract investment and accelerate production.
The projects and initiatives are expected to “unlock more than $5 billion” in capital investment across Canada's critical minerals value chain, according to the statement.
Among the partnerships announced at the summit, German company RCT Solutions will work with Canada's Sio Silica on a high-purity silica project in Manitoba, while Japanese company Hanwa Co. Ltd. will partner with KAP Minerals to support phosphate and rare earth development in Ontario.
Italian company Eni is investing in Nouveau Monde Graphite's Matawinie Mine in Quebec, while French company Schneider Electric will partner with Torngat Metals to advance rare earth mining and processing projects in the province.
During bilateral meetings with leaders from Germany, India, Italy, South Korea, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union, Carney also secured new defense and critical minerals cooperation agreements.
France, Germany, Italy and South Korea indicated their intention to partner with Canada on critical minerals stockpiling initiatives, which the statement said would help support additional energy partnerships.
Canada also announced the first procurement secured through the European Union's Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative since becoming its first non-European participant in February.
Under the agreement, Montreal-based Marconi Technologies will build ORION tactical radios for Poland's Cyber Command, with deliveries expected to begin later this year.
Canada and Italy also launched negotiations on Canada's potential purchase of M-346 advanced jet trainer aircraft designed and produced by Italian aerospace company Leonardo.
In addition, Canada agreed to launch negotiations on new General Security of Information Agreements (GSOIA) with India and Germany to strengthen defense and industrial cooperation and create additional opportunities for Canadian businesses.
"In an uncertain world, Canada is a pivotal, powerful, and purposeful force for good. At the G7 Leaders' Summit in Evian, we secured new partnerships to build energy projects in Canada, new agreements to make it easier for our businesses to sell abroad, and new deals to equip our Canadian Armed Forces with the hardware they need," Carney said.
