- Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael to lead a WA delegation to Canada and the United States to strengthen critical minerals and clean energy partnerships
- Mission includes attending the 2026 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Convention and meetings in Toronto, New York, and Washington DC
- Visit builds on strong North American investment and trade ties and the Australia-US critical minerals framework
- Cook Government committed to becoming a global leader in investment attraction
Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael will lead a delegation of up to 16 critical minerals companies to Canada and the United States to strengthen Western Australia's strategic partnerships and highlight the State's battery, critical minerals, and energy sectors.
As part of the mission, Minister Michael will attend the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2026 Convention in Toronto from 1-4 March.
PDAC is the world's premier mining and exploration event, attracting up to 30,000 attendees from more than 130 countries each year.
The visit will reaffirm Western Australia's long-standing relationships with Canada and the US, two of the world's most advanced resources and manufacturing economies.
The mission comes at a time of deepening commercial engagement with North America.
In 2024, Canada was Australia's fourth-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI), with the stock of Canadian FDI in Australia valued at $84 billion.
The US also remains a major economic partner, ranking as Australia's largest source market for FDI in 2024, valued at $235.3 billion.
Engagement with the US will build on the bilateral framework on critical minerals and rare earths signed between Australia and the US in October 2025.
The agreement aims to accelerate priority projects and diversify supply chains, opening significant opportunities for Western Australian companies seeking North American investment and access to US supply chains.
Across Toronto, New York, and Washington DC, the Minister will meet with industry, investors, and stakeholders, reinforcing Western Australia's position as a trusted, ethical, and reliable supplier of critical minerals, which are essential to the global energy transition, defence, and advanced manufacturing capabilities.
As stated by Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael:
"Western Australia is recognised globally as a reliable and ethical supplier of the critical materials needed to support clean energy, defence capability, and advanced manufacturing.
"This visit will strengthen our long-standing relationships with allied partners Canada and the United States and support Western Australian companies seeking investment and offtake partners for major critical minerals projects.
"With both Canada and the US working to diversify supply chains, Western Australia is exceptionally well placed to help meet their needs and to deepen collaboration across our shared economic and strategic priorities."
