Canada Invests in Quebec’s Critical Minerals Sector to Create Jobs and a Strong Economy

On February 6, 2025, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced up to $43.5 million in investments under two critical mineral funding programs that will help to advance infrastructure to better develop, supply and research critical minerals in Quebec.

Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF)

The CMIF is Natural Resources Canada’s flagship program under the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy to support enabling clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects necessary to increase Canada’s supply of responsibly sourced critical minerals, and the development of domestic and global value chains for the green and digital economy.

Project Name: Rose Lithium-Tantalum 
Recipient: Critical Elements Lithium Corporation
Location: James Bay, Quebec
Funding Amount: up to $20 million
Project Summary: Critical Elements Lithium Corporation is planning to construct a new main electrical station and relocate 4.2 kilometres of transmission line to service its Rose Lithium-Tantalum Mining Project in Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Quebec. The clean power made available by this project will support a significant increase in Canada’s supply of lithium, which is an essential component in the electric vehicle supply chain. Critical Elements Lithium Corporation has a signed agreement with the Cree Nation of Eastmain, the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) and the Cree Nation Government, which includes benefits such as job creation and business opportunities.

Project Name: Engineering Study for 120kV Transmission Line to the Dumont Project
Recipient: Dumont Nickel, formerly Magneto Investments Limited Partnership
Location: Abitibi, Quebec
Funding Amount: up to $1.1 million
Project Summary: Dumont Nickel is planning to conduct a feasibility study to assess the technical design and associated costs to connect its Dumont nickel and cobalt project to the Hydro-Québec grid via an eight-kilometre transmission line. The study includes analyzing existing infrastructure, designing equipment and components for the connection, ensuring regulatory and safety compliance, and developing cost estimates and timelines.

Project Name: Transmission Line Development for The Moblan Project
Recipient: Sayona Nord Inc.
Location: Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Quebec
Funding Amount: up to $1.3 million
Project Summary: Sayona Nord Inc. is planning to complete pre-construction milestones, including an environmental assessment, land permitting, technical design and engagement activities, to advance an approximately 55-kilometre transmission line that will provide grid connection for their Moblan lithium project located in Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Quebec.

Project name: Trans-Atikh Project
Recipient: Eskan Company
Location: Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Quebec
Funding Amount: up to $13.5 million
Project Summary: Eskan Company is an Indigenous-owned company planning to undertake a feasibility study in respect to a possible extension of the Renard Mine access road by 87 kilometres toward lithium-based minerals projects located in Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Quebec. This potential road could support several mine development projects and has the potential for wide-ranging economic benefits in the region, in addition to greater access to the territory for land users.

Project name: Corner Bay and Devlin Mine Road and Power Line Project
Recipient: Cbay Minerals Inc, a subsidiary of Cygnus Metals Limited
Location: Chibougamau, Quebec
Funding Amount: up to $1.3 million
Project Summary: Cbay Minerals Inc. is planning to complete pre-construction milestones, including a feasibility study and environmental and social impact assessment, to support the development of two-lane gravel roads and 25-kV electrical powerlines connecting the Corner Bay and Devlin deposits required for the future mines to operate and send material to the Copper Rand concentrator. The project is located close to the town of Chibougamau in Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Quebec, and is part of Dore Copper’s hub and spoke copper-gold project.

Project name: Ashram Rare Earth Project Access Road 
Recipient: Commerce Resources Corp (Commerce Resources)
Location: Kuujjuaq, Quebec
Funding Amount: up to $2.6 million
Project Summary: Commerce Resources is planning to complete preconstruction milestones, including undertaking assessment of permafrost occurrence, a pre-feasibility study, a geotechnical investigation and a feasibility study related to future construction of an approximately 175-kilometre road that would connect the Ashram project to a landing point on the Koksoak River. This infrastructure will support production of rare earth elements and fluorspar from the Ashram Deposit in the Nunavik region of northern Quebec.

Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration (CMRDD) program

The CMRDD program aims to advance the commercial readiness of emerging mineral processing unit operations or technologies that will support the development of zero-emission-vehicle value chains in Canada by providing raw material inputs for use in batteries and permanent magnets. The CMRDD program is supporting the development of innovative processing technologies for the critical minerals industry. Through federal research and development, as well as contributions funding, projects are advancing technological solutions at various stages of development.

Project Name: Scale-up of lithium extraction process from primary and secondary sources
Recipient: COALIA
Location: Thetford Mines, Quebec
Funding Amount: $3.7 million
Project Summary: COALIA will carry out a pilot project for the extraction and purification of lithium from a spodumene concentrate in collaboration with LiOH Corp. and St-Georges Eco-Mining. The process, validated at laboratory scale, will recover 90 percent of the available lithium using nitric acid as a leaching agent. A high-purity aluminum concentrate and a nitrogen fertilizer will be generated as value-added byproducts. The aim of this pilot project is to validate the robustness of the process before its industrialization.