June 26, 2026 Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Natural Resources Canada
Canada is accelerating critical minerals development and building more resilient, diversified supply chains to create prosperity, jobs and enhance our national security. Central to this effort is the creation of the Canadian Digital Core Library (CDCL) - a national platform that will facilitate access to digitized drill core data from across the country. Drill cores provide valuable information about mineral deposits and the size, quality and economic potential of a mineral resource. This information is what allows Canada to identify strategic new mining projects across the country and mine the resources that underpin national defence, advanced manufacturing and the energy transition.
Today, at the 2026 Energy and Mines Ministers' Conference, the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced the CDCL's next steps.
Minister Hodgson highlighted newly signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon, which will work with the federal government to advance priority actions needed to achieve the CDCL's objectives, such as supporting drill core scanning in their jurisdiction, accelerating the availability of geoscience data in priority regions and co-developing sustainable digital library solutions with other jurisdictions and industry partners. The majority of public drill core in Canada is held by the provinces and territories, meaning that collaboration between the Government of Canada and provincial and territorial governments is essential to the successful development of the CDCL. Alongside contributions from industry, which also holds core repositories, these agreements mark a significant step forward in a new Team Canada approach to drill core data.
Minister Hodgson also announced up to $15 million for Creative Destruction Lab, a global not-for-profit network with expertise in advancing the commercialization of complex scientific and data-driven innovations, to develop the CDCL platform. Once operational, the platform will improve data accessibility, reducing exploration risk. This will allow us to accelerate investment and innovation across Canada's mining sector while supporting Canada's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All by enabling the use of AI in priority sectors - including natural resources - to drive productivity and economic growth.
With core scanning to begin by September 2026, the Government of Canada is moving with speed to gain better insight into Canada's mineral resources - insights that will allow us to unlock our natural resource potential, drive economic growth and strengthen Canada's competitiveness in the race for secure critical minerals.
