Saskatchewan establishes partnership with France on strategic minerals
Saskatchewan and France have begun a new partnership – promising to explore, develop and cooperate on new projects related to strategic mineral resources.
Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison and French Delegate for Foreign Trade Franck Riester made the partnership official at the Saskatchewan Research Council on Monday.
“Today, I am delighted to expand and build on our relationship with France in strategic minerals sectors,” Harrison said in a news release. “This is especially important given our shared goals of lowering greenhouse gas emissions and making energy and mining more reliable and sustainable than ever before.”
Cooperation between the province and France has been long standing – with French-based nuclear energy company Orano managing several mining operations in northern Saskatchewan.
“This agreement with the Saskatchewan government is one of the first we have signed with a Canadian province, after the one signed with Quebec last November. That says a lot about the priority we attach to our relationship with Saskatchewan,” Riester said.
The letter of intent between the two governments will focus on improving supply chain security, sustainability, research and development. It also includes the intention to share knowledge and develop projects related to critical mineral innovations.
A total of 23 critical minerals can be found in Saskatchewan, according to the province. They include uranium, potash, rare earth elements, helium, lithium as well as copper.
According to Canada’s critical minerals strategy, there are 31 critical minerals found across Canada.
Six in particular, lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper and rare earth elements are recognized as the most valuable for domestic manufacturing efforts.
The value of critical minerals is expected to rise by 400 to 600 per cent over the next several decades as nations continue their transitions to clean energy economies.
France boasts the world’s seventh largest economy and ranks third in Europe, following Germany and the United Kingdom.
Last year, Saskatchewan exports to France totaled nearly $220 million – marking an increase of 68 per cent from the year previous.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
NEW A mother's hopes to free her son from a Syrian prison is revitalized by a new human rights report
Just days before the seventh anniversary of the day Jack Letts was thrown in prison with thousands of suspected ISIS fighters, his mother, Sally Lane, delivered a small stack of envelopes to the headquarters of Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa.
NEW Companies letting customers opt out of Mother's Day ads
In an effort to balance the profitability of Mother's Day with the pain it causes some people, some brands are offering customers the choice to opt out of Mother's Day email advertising.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
NEW Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.