Canada’s 2024 Investment Canada Act amendments will, from early 2027, impose mandatory pre-closing filings on certain non-control foreign investments in “prescribed” sensitive sectors, expected to include critical minerals, where investors gain access to material non-public technical information, key assets or governance rights. Critical minerals juniors relying on strategic minority investors for exploration, feasibility and project build-out may face at least a 45-day national security screening, with some reviews extending to 200 days, forcing longer financing timelines and more complex deal structuring, such as staged tranches. Ottawa’s aim is to vet sensitive deals before closing and avoid repeat divestiture orders like the 2022 forced exits of Sinomine, Chengze Lithium and Zangge Mining from Canadian lithium and rare metals projects.

A national parliamentary inquiry into critical minerals will hold a public hearing in Melbourne on Monday 21 October, with the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Primary Industries taking evidence from mining companies, industry experts and regional communities. The inquiry will examine the economic potential of Australia’s critical minerals sector and how project development interacts with existing land uses, including agriculture and regional townships. Outcomes could influence future approvals, land access frameworks and infrastructure planning for Victorian and national critical minerals projects.

Froydis Cameron-Johansson, a former senior executive at Rio Tinto and Anglo American who began her career at Shell, has been appointed the International Council on Mining and Metals’ first woman president and CEO, effective 23 November. She succeeds Rohitesh Dhawan, who will remain to support the transition until end-2026 after overseeing the creation of the Global Tailings Management Institute and the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative. Her mandate centres on tightening industry-wide mining standards, accountability and ESG performance across critical metals and minerals value chains.