B.C. mining looking to diversify trading partners

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was heard in a hot-mic comment at an economic summit in Toronto Friday saying the U.S. president wants Canada’s important minerals.

“Mr. Trump has it in mind that one of the easiest ways of doing that is absorbing our country,” Trudeau was heard saying. “And it is a real thing.”

After the summit, B.C. Minister of Critical Minerals and Mining Jagrup Brar told The Leader Spirit the mining sector is working to diversify its trading partners in the face of these threats.

“I understand there’s a discussion going on about the 51st state,” Brar said.

“That’s not going to happen.”

Minister Brar says while B.C. sells some metals and minerals to the United States, it is not B.C.’s biggest trading partner for critical minerals such as copper, zinc, and nickel.

Most, he said, are being sold to Asian countries.

However, Brar would not say if more of the province’s coveted mining products would be traded with the U.S. if Trump does want more critical minerals.

“We will continue to diversify our economy so we’re not dependent on one partner, but multiple partners, so in the future, we don’t have any supply-chain issues and all that kind of stuff,” he said.

“So we will continue on that path moving forward. And we will continue to grow our economy within the province.”

To do this, he says, we need to diversify the economy to other markets.

Mining is a huge industry in B.C., producing around $16.5 billion in value last year. The province is Canada’s top producer of minerals like copper and molybdenum, which are used in phones, aircraft, electric vehicles, and many other products.

The United Nations says demand for these kinds of minerals is expected to triple by 2030.