US seeking to boost electric vehicle material production in Canada: Reuters

The U.S. government is seeking to boost Canadian production of minerals and materials that are critical to make electric vehicles, according to a report from Reuters published Thursday.

The Department of Commerce held a virtual meeting with more than 30 mineral miners and battery manufacturers to discuss Canadian production of the materials, according to documents viewed by the news outlet.

Among the attendees were Tesla, Talon Metals Corp. and Livent Corp. They discussed how the U.S. could help companies expand in Canada, according to the documents.

A source who was in the meeting told the news outlet that officials stressed the need to build a U.S.-Canada supply for electric vehicles like Europe and Asia have done.

Livent confirmed to The Hill that it participated in the meeting, but referred other questions to the Commerce Department.

A representative for Talon told The Hill that the purpose of the meeting was to share insight on the electric vehicle supply chain across North America, and how the U.S. could assist.

The Hill has also reached out to the Commerce Department and Tesla for comment.

The meeting comes after President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to building an electric vehicle supply chain last month. Reuters noted that three U.S. mining companies have invested in Canada since Biden was elected.

The news outlet notes that mining accounts for 5 percent of Canada’s gross domestic product, compared with 0.9 percent of the U.S.’s GDP.

Aside from the meeting, Robin Goad, CEO of Fortune Minerals in Canada, which is developing a cobalt mine in the Northwest Territories, told Reuters that the U.S. has held funding talks with the U.S. Export/Import Bank.

“The United States is really taking this seriously,” Goad told Reuters.

The U.S. is also seeking to boost domestic production of electric vehicle metals. However, a government source told the news outlet that the U.S. was planning to deepen its partnership with Canada for mineral supply purposes and its mining sector.

Updated at 1:16 p.m.