Permitting and price swings have stalled mines, Ottawa just moved buyers and public cash to break the freeze. On October 31, 2025, ministers wrapped a G7 meeting in Toronto and said Canada will push projects worth C$6.4 billion. The plan includes off take deals to anchor supply, a faster way to close financing than speeches.
Terms Set By Ottawa And G7
The government’s release lists 26 investments and measures under a new Critical Minerals Production Alliance, alongside nine allied countries, to “unlock” C$6.4 billion of projects. It names offtake agreements with Nouveau Monde Graphite and Rio Tinto, plus a Roadmap to Promote Standards‑Based Markets under the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan. “Canada is moving quickly to secure the critical minerals that power our clean energy future,” Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said, signalling Ottawa will act as buyer and rule‑setter, not just cheerleader.
Offtakes matter because they turn geology into bankable cash flow. The Toronto announcement fixes demand for graphite and scandium, the awkward middle of most models, and ties it to allied industry purchasing. That is the kind of paper lenders accept when deciding whether to fund a concentrator or a processing line.
Stockpile And Standards
Ottawa says it will use the Defence Production Act to stockpile key minerals. That lets the federal procurement arm place orders and hold inventory for defence supply chains, a quiet but expensive way to de‑risk projects. The same note flags a standards roadmap aimed at traceability and “standards‑based markets,” a soft power tool that can still tilt bids if buyers make it part of their contracts.
The allies piece is not window dressing. Canada’s list includes partners from France to Japan and the United States, a buyers club large enough to move price and routing, especially in synthetic graphite, rare earths, and scandium. The aim is to cut dependence on Chinese processing without pretending demand will shrink.
What is missing is a clean project slate with start dates and tonnages. Ottawa’s release talks up the total value and the tools, but it does not post commissioning schedules. Until those dates land, the money does not turn into output, and the output does not turn into margin. The next posted milestones are policy side, with the IEA 2026 Ministerial and PDAC 2026 set as waypoints.
Lenders will read this as Ottawa stepping into two roles at once, buyer and referee. If the offtake contracts and stockpile purchase orders get signed and posted, project debt gets cheaper and faster. Those documents are what bankers will ask to see in 2026.
