Prime minister in Saskatoon to tour rare earths element processing plant

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is to be in Saskatoon on Monday.

Trudeau is to visit a rare earths element processing plant, and will join Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark for a media conference afterwards.

Premier Scott Moe issued a statement saying Trudeau’s visit “is disappointing, but not surprising.”

“It’s disappointing because this is an area that the provincial and federal governments see eye to eye on, yet we were not aware of the Prime Minister’s visit,” Moe wrote. “Saskatchewan has been advocating for increased investment in this area, and we hope that the Prime Minister will have positive news today — and into the future — on our applications before Natural Resources Canada.

“It’s not surprising as I led a Saskatchewan delegation in Washington D.C. last month, where I met with various levels of President (Joe) Biden’s administration and discussed the opportunities Saskatchewan has to partner with the U.S.A. on providing the elements required for North American energy security.

“It’s also not surprising that one of the Prime Minister’s first visits following his meetings with the American and Mexican Presidents is to a Saskatchewan facility, as our province is a global leader in critical minerals and rare earth elements.”

NDP Leader Carla Beck also issued a statement, criticizing Moe for his stance.

“Saskatchewan has so much potential, and we need to get back to telling that story in a positive and constructive way to both national and international audiences,” Beck wrote. “Everywhere I go, people tell me that they have grown tired of politicians — at all levels — stoking division to score political points instead of working together to achieve real results for the people they represent.

“Rather than taking the opportunity to promote the potential of our rare earth elements and advocate for more investment, the Premier has once again made the story about his politics and his inability to work towards a stronger and united Saskatchewan in Canada. We raise our kids to behave like adults and Saskatchewan people — at a bare minimum — expect that from their Premier.”

Lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper and the group of 17 metals and minerals known as rare earth elements are being prioritized for investments in exploration, production and processing as part of Canada’s critical minerals strategy, which was announced by Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson last month.

Critical minerals were also among the issues Trudeau, Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador discussed during their summit last week in Mexico.

In 2020 the World Bank predicted that demand for critical minerals dozens of metals and minerals like lithium and copper that are used in batteries and clean energy generation will soar 500 per cent by 2050.

Canada is not a commercial producer of rare earth elements, though it does have some of the largest-known deposits.

— With files from The Canadian Press