Video still: Canadian prime minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney welcome British prime minister Keir Starmer to the G7 summit.
The G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan is one of six joint statements to have emerged from the G7 Summit in Kananaskis this past June 15-17.
Their statement highlights: “We, the Leaders of the G7, recognize that critical minerals are the building blocks of digital and energy secure economies of the future. We remain committed to transparency, diversification, security, sustainable mining practices, trustworthiness and reliability as essential principles for resilient critical minerals supply chains, and acknowledge the importance of traceability, trade, and decent work in contributing to our economic prosperity and that of our partners.”
It further notes: “We are launching a G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan, building on the Five-Point Plan for Critical Minerals Security established during Japan’s G7 Presidency in 2023 and advanced by Italy in 2024. The Action Plan will focus on diversifying the responsible production and supply of critical minerals, encouraging investments in critical mineral projects and local value creation, and promoting innovation.”
The 967-word statement only makes brief reference to “sustainable mining practices”, “local consultation”, “addressing negative externalities, including pollution and land degradation”, “collaboration” with “Indigenous Peoples, local communities, unions, and civil society” and that it will “help” to “promote responsible mining practices; combat gender-based violence in the mining industry.”
While rarely mentioned in international statements, the 2021 Open Societies Statement that accompanied the final communique from the G7 Summit in Cornwall, United Kingdom, did mention: “The importance of civic space and partnership with diverse, independent and pluralistic civil societies, including human rights defenders, in promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Critical minerals and the risks to environmental defenders
In this joint policy briefing released just over a month ago on May 15, 2025, seventeen organizations, including Peace Brigades International, warned that the UK government’s drive to secure minerals like cobalt, nickel and lithium could “fuel environmental destruction, human rights abuses and deepen global inequalities.”
Their briefing cautions: “The mining and processing of critical minerals is frequently linked to severe human rights violations including violation of Indigenous rights including the killing of land and environmental defenders.”
Yesterday, June 17, Peace Brigades International-Canada observed a Chiefs of Ontario-organized rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa against the Canadian government’s proposed Bill C-5, One Canadian Economy Act.
The Chiefs of Ontario have previously explained: “Bill C-5 proposes sweeping new powers that would allow the federal government to fast-track major infrastructure projects. Under the legislation, a single federal minister would be authorized to approve projects, override regulatory protections, and bypass environmental and social safeguards, all without returning to Parliament for further approval.”
There are concerns that Bill C-5 would be used to approve critical mineral mining projects without the consent of Indigenous peoples, perhaps in conjunction with the Ontario government’s Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act.
The Canadian Press has reports: “Road, rail and mine blockades could be on the horizon, First Nations leaders said [May 26], as they ratchet up pressure on the Ontario government to kill [Bill 5] that seeks to speed up large mining projects in the north.”
The provincial Bill 5 was passed by the Ontario Legislature on June 5, the federal Bill C-5 is expected to be passed by the House of Commons on June 20.
Civil society demands
In advance of the G7 summit, the C7 (Civil 7), “an official engagement group of the Group of 7 (G7)” that “represents positions from global civil society” had called on the G7 to “adopt and enforce mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation, while protecting human rights defenders”, to accelerate “implementation of the 2011 UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights”, and to “counter the global crackdown on civil society by adopting diplomatic, financial, and legal measures to safeguard activists, independent media, and human rights defenders.”
The W7 (Women 7), another engagement group, had also highlighted: “The G7 must take a firm stance against the criminalization of dissent, the rollback of the rights of women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and the shrinking space for civil society, ensuring that foreign and domestic policies align with human rights principles.”
Official G7 statements reflecting these principles are not apparent following the Kananaskis summit.
Critical minerals conference in September
The G7 statement notes: “We look forward to the upcoming Conference on Critical Materials and Minerals, to be chaired by the United States in Chicago, in September 2025, in order to advance this work.”
The next G7 summit will take place in June 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France.
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