What the project was about
The project reframed rare earth elements as more than a commodity question. They sit inside clean energy, defence, aerospace, electronics, advanced manufacturing, digital infrastructure, and national resilience.
Imagining Canada’s Rare Earth Futures.
A 2046 foresight exploration of how Canada’s critical mineral supply chain could shape national security, industrial resilience, and long-term policy choices.
The strategic question
How might Canada’s critical mineral supply chain affect national security by 2046? The horizon matters because mines, processing facilities, infrastructure networks, standards, and partnerships often take decades to mature.
What was done
- Mapped the strategic context around resources, processing gaps, technology, energy, defence, alliances, and governance.
- Built four plausible future logics to show the range of conditions Canada may need to handle.
- Translated system-level futures into concise human perspectives and policy questions.
What it proves
Foresight can make strategic dependency visible before it becomes crisis. The value is not prediction; it is a better decision frame for choices that may only reveal their consequences years later.