Ontario Premier Doug Ford has responded to US threats of a trade war by threatening to cut off the province’s power exports to the US.
Speaking to reporters on 24 August, Ford said that “everything is on the table” regarding retaliatory measures as the US continues to discuss higher tariffs and a potential trade war.
“We power 1.5 million homes and businesses. Everything’s on the table. I’ll do whatever it takes,” Ford says.
Ontario’s power grid connects with Michigan, New York, and Minnesota.
Trump’s remarks on Monday note that he plans to increase tariffs on Canadian automobiles from 25% to 50% from 1 January 2027, following the collapse of trade talks between the two countries last week.
Ontario is not the only one focused on retaliation. Prime Minister Mark Carney has responded saying that Canada will need to focus on targeted measures that will protect Canadian workers and businesses.
Premier Ford says that beyond power, Canada should consider stronger measures against the US, with a focus on key industries including oil, potash, and critical minerals.
As the fight for control of critical minerals heats up, the breakdown in trade talks underscores how vulnerable US supply chains are to Canadian retaliation. Canada is positioning itself as a global leader in critical minerals, and a disruption in cross-border flows could choke off US access to essential inputs for electric vehicles (EVs), defence, and clean energy. With Ottawa signalling that critical minerals are on the table, the trade dispute risks escalating into a strategic battle over resources that underpin both economies.
Attention is also turning to the explorers and developers positioned to advance domestic supply chains, with juniors across the country pushing forward across a range of critical minerals that could underpin Canada’s role as a supplier of choice.
Canada’s leverage in the trade rift lies not only in its resource base, but in its ability to disrupt flows of nickel, cobalt, gallium, rare earths, and other critical minerals essential to the US at the moment.
Explorers push ahead amid geopolitical stress
Canada’s critical minerals industry is strong, with juniors across the country advancing strategic projects to strengthen Western supply chains for key metals and minerals.
Rapid Critical Metals (ASX:RCM) is preparing for drilling in Q3 2026 at the Prophet River Gallium-Germanium Project in British Columbia.
The company notes that with around 80% of global gallium and germanium supply concentrated in China, the introduction of Canadian-sourced supply is significant. Canada’s government is backing critical minerals projects, with a C$1.5 billion ($1.51 billion) Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund, a C$1.5 billion First and Last Mile Fund, and more.
Rock-chip samples from a 2025 field program confirmed mineralisation with 763 grams per tonne germanium (Ge) and 65.6g/t gallium (Ga) at the Nose Zone, while the Wolverine Zone produced 250g/t Ge and 121g/t Ga.
Rapid Critical Metals received its permit from the British Columbia Mines Act in June 2026 and has 50 pads approved for drill sites across 2,000–3,000m.
SPC Nickel (TSX-V:SPC) is awaiting drill targets at the Muskox Copper-Nickel-Platinum Group Metals (PGM) Project in Nunavut, following its summer 2026 field program.
The Muskox Project is a highly prospective polymetallic copper, nickel, and PGM project, spanning 496km2 of the Muskox Intrusion — a large, layered mafic-ultramafic body with similarities to some of the most significant copper-nickel-PGM deposits globally, including Norilsk-Talnakh.
Historical exploration has confirmed widespread ‘high-grade’ polymetallic sulphide mineralisation, including 7.5m @ 6.14% copper, 2.76% nickel, and 9.06g/t PGM and 13.74m @ 5.04% copper, 2.21% nickel, and 5.63g/t PGM.
Transition Metals (TSX-V:XTM) is advancing its multi-commodity portfolio across a number of Canadian jurisdictions, with the Pike Warden and Saturday Night projects driving the company’s critical minerals strategy.
At Pike Warden, Transition Metals has confirmed both high-sulphidation epithermal silver-gold and porphyry copper-molybdenum systems, having drilled 504m over two holes in 2025.
The company resumed field activities at Pike Warden in late July 2026, as reported, as it prepared for a first-pass drill program at the Saddles target area.
The unfolding dispute between the US and Canada underscores how deeply entwined energy, trade, and resource security have become.
With critical minerals at the forefront of geopolitical strategy today, Ottawa’s ability to leverage its resources is both an economic opportunity and a bargaining chip in cross-border negotiations.
The outcomes of trade negotiations will shape political relationships and the future of industries that rely on secure access to the minerals driving electrification, defence, and the clean energy transition.
Write to Amy Rotman at Mining.com.au
Images: Unsplash, SPC Nickel
