Santiago/IBNS-CMEDIA: Canada and Chile are strengthening cooperation on critical minerals, mining technology and investment as Ottawa seeks to diversify trade partnerships and build more secure mineral supply chains across the Americas.
Claude Guay, parliamentary secretary to the minister of Energy and Natural Resources, represented Canada at the Conference of Mining Ministries of the Americas (CAMMA) in Santiago this week, where he met senior Chilean officials and industry leaders to advance investment and commercial opportunities.
The discussions focused on critical minerals, responsible mining, innovation and expanding trade and investment between the two countries, according to Natural Resources Canada.
A key development was a five-year agreement between Chilean state-owned copper producer Codelco and Canadian mining technology company MacLean Engineering to develop and deploy technologies for underground mining at El Teniente, one of the world’s largest underground copper mines.
The partnership will focus on trench scaling, tunnel development and service infrastructure, aiming to improve worker safety and make underground operations more efficient and sustainable.
Canada also announced support for critical minerals capacity-building in Latin America and the Caribbean through the G7 Minerals Skills Network, including a hybrid training programme in Santiago and a seminar on financial and economic planning for sustainable critical mineral projects later this year.
Separately, Ottawa announced up to C$450,000 in research and development funding for Ottawa-based Cheetah Networks through the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).
The project, carried out with Chile’s development agency CORFO, will develop energy-efficient connectivity and industrial IoT solutions for mining and other critical infrastructure.
Canada will also lead a cleantech-focused mining mission to Chile in October, bringing 12 Canadian companies to explore opportunities in water management, decarbonisation, energy efficiency and environmental performance.
Guay said the initiatives would help Canada expand its international partnerships while securing reliable markets for Canadian minerals and businesses.
“These efforts ensure we have the minerals our economies need, diversify and secure our trade and create opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses,” Guay said.
Canada and Chile have been expanding cooperation under a 2024 memorandum of understanding on critical minerals and sustainable development of minerals and metals. The agreement covers mineral value chains, innovation, investment and responsible mining.
Chile is a major global producer of copper and lithium. Canada is the largest foreign investor in Chile’s mining sector, with about C$43.5 billion in assets held by roughly 52 Canadian companies in 2024, according to Natural Resources Canada.
Ottawa said deeper cooperation with Chile and other countries in the Americas would help diversify Canada’s trading relationships, strengthen critical mineral supply chains and support long-term economic security.
