Photo: Gitxsan land defender Kolin Sutherland-Wilson speaks at ILPS conference in Ottawa; May 26, 2026. Photo by Radyo Migrante TO.

The Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) has posted on LinkedIn: “CADSI’s VP of Communications & Government Relations, Nicolas Todd attended the Critical Minerals for Defence this week in Toronto. We shared insight into how Canada’s critical mineral industry plays a role within this new defence ecosystem, notably its effect on industrial capacity and supply chains.”

Speakers at that June 9-19, 2026, conference also included representatives from the Marten Falls First Nation, Lockheed Martin, Natural Resources Canada, Export Development Canada, the Department of National Defence, the United States Air Force, UK Export Finance, the European Union Delegation to the United States, the Government of Ontario, the Canada Infrastructure Bank, and Lomiko Metals.

Gitxsan land defender Kolin Sutherland-Wilson has highlighted the connection between corporate mining on Indigenous lands in Canada and weapons production. At a Palestine solidarity rally in Victoria, British Columbia in February 2026, Sutherland-Wilson expressed his opposition to “mines to fuel their need for the rare earth elements and critical minerals to build their weapons that they employ against peoples all around the world.” He concluded with “Free Palestine!”

The Tyee has reported that Vancouver-based Defense Metals is proposing the Wicheeda project, located 80 kilometres north of Prince George, that contains neodymium and praseodymium, rare earth elements that can be used in the manufacturing of military equipment. The Tyee notes: “In 2020, [Defense Metals] brought in two strategic advisers [one from Lockheed Martin, the other who had been with the CIA] to help with business development and securing purchase agreements.”

Last month, Shiri Pasternak and Nessie Nankivell wrote: “Even as Prime Minister Mark Carney touts his plans to protect Canada’s economic sovereignty, the country’s critical minerals are making their way into U.S. weapons.”

The article explains: “Nickel, copper, graphite, cobalt, tungsten, chromium, and rare earth elements are not just inputs for batteries and wind turbines. They are also needed to build fighter jets, drones, missiles, radar systems, submarines, armour, and ammunition. …Starting in 2022, the U.S. Department of War began pouring millions of dollars into Canadian mining companies extracting critical minerals. …Over just two years in 2024 and 2025, the Pentagon invested over $78 million USD in companies operating mining projects in Canada: Fortune Minerals, Lomiko Metals, Fireweed Metals, Northcliff Resources, Nano One Materials, and Electra Battery Materials.”

Pasternak and Nankivell cite the example of the Lomiko Metals La Loutre graphite mine near Duhamel, Quebec, about 120 kilometres north of Ottawa. They note: “It secured an $8.4 million USD grant from the Pentagon, matched by a further $4.9 million CAD grant from Natural Resources Canada. …Canada’s environmental assessment processes do not ask where minerals will ultimately go once they leave the mine site. They do not ask whether extracted materials will power batteries or weapons.”

They add: “The La Loutre graphite mine has faced strong opposition from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation.”

And Pasternak and Nankivell have also noted: “In New Brunswick, the proposed Sisson tungsten project, owned by Northcliff Resources, received $15 million USD in Pentagon funding. Tungsten carbide, an exceptionally hard metal, is used in armour-piercing ammunition. Wolastoqey leaders have opposed the project for years.”

The NB Media Co-op has further reported: “[Elder Alma Brooks has] pointed to Israel’s prolonged and devastating U.S.-backed assault on the Gaza Strip, ‘a genocide that’s happening right under the nose of the world’”.

That article further notes: “[Wolastoq Grand Chief Ron] Tremblay said the Wolastoq Grand Council rejects activities contributing to war and what he called the ‘continuum of genocide’ in places such as the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”

The risk of attacks against defenders

In their Global Analysis 2025/26 report issued today, Front Line Defenders documents that the “most targeted areas of human rights defence” worldwide are “land, environmental and peasant communities’ rights” (23.46% of the human rights defenders killed in 2025) and “Indigenous peoples’ rights” (17.03% of those killed).

And in their September 2025 report, Global Witness noted: “Once again, mining emerged as the deadliest sector, with at least 29 related cases in 2024. Next came logging with eight cases and agribusiness with four. Road-building and infrastructure projects, poaching and hydropower have also driven deadly attacks in 2024.”

We continue to follow this with concern.

Additional reading: ‘Our minerals could be used to annex us’: why Canada doesn’t want US mining (Sara Hashemi, The Guardian, January 5, 2026); Elbows up? Canada is letting Pentagon take ‘unprecedented’ stakes in Canadian mines (Shiri Pasternak and Nessie Nankivell, The Breach, May 22, 2026); Wolastoqey land defenders reject the proposed Sisson open-pit tungsten mine and weapons production (PBI-Canada article, December 2, 2025) and Why Is the US War Department Buying into a BC Mining Company? (Amanda Follett Hosgood, The Tyee, October 16, 2025).

Photo: The police response to the protest organized by the Shut Down CANSEC campaign in Ottawa, May 28, 2026.

As part of our commitment at Peace Brigades International-Canada to the holistic protective accompaniment of human rights defenders, journalists and Indigenous land and environmental defenders, we are researching the links between increasing military budgets, documented attacks against defenders opposing weapons companies and arms fairs, and the implications for land defenders.

The imminent decision on submarines

On July 10, 2024, the Government of Canada announced its intention to acquire up to 12 new submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy.

On October 27, 2025, the Ottawa Citizen further reported: “The Liberal government will spend tens of billions of dollars — with some estimates of up to $100 billion — on a new fleet of submarines.”

More recently, on May 23, 2026, CBC News reported: “Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is expected to make a decision within weeks [also reported as by late-June 2026] on whether to go with the Hanwha Ocean bid or one by German rival TKMS (ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems).”

It has also been reported by Politico that the decision will be made “within 30 days” from June 13, 2026, meaning by mid-July.

Hanwha and TKMS

The companies bidding for Canada’s submarine contract have been criticized by human rights advocates.

We are now following the work of Abandon Hanwha, an “international campaign pressuring Hanwha to cut ties with Israeli genocide.”

We also recall that the American Friends Service Committee has included TKMS on their list of Companies Profiting from the Gaza Genocide.

Implications for Indigenous land defenders

PBI-Canada has been following the opposition of Gitanyow and Gitxsan land and environmental defenders to the construction of the proposed Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline on their territories in northern British Columbia, Canada. We are also following Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan opposition to LNG Canada Phase II that would include compressor stations on Wet’suwet’en territory to increase the flow of the Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline built without consent.

iPolitics now reports in the context of this submarine purchase: “The Republic of Korea has so far invested $1.6 billion in LNG Canada and will be expanding that to $3.2 billion in the future. The country is also committing to importing 3.4 million tonnes of LNG annually from Canada, more than five times the current amount.”

Dogwood has made this link with the submarine purchase too further highlighting, as CBC News reports, that the German government-owned company Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE) has now signed an agreement to buy one million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year from Ksi Lisims over an up to 20-year span, while the Duesseldorf-based Uniper has signed a letter of interest to purchase liquefied natural gas from the Ksi Lisims LNG terminal linked to the PRGT fracked gas pipeline.

$4 billion+ in Canadian arms exports in 2025

Along with buying “military goods”, Canada is committed to exporting more weapons, military components and technology.

A recently released report from Global Affairs Canada documents that Canada exported $2.045 billion of “military goods” to non-US markets in 2025.

In March 2026, Project Ploughshares reported that the value of contracts concluded between the Canadian Commercial Corporation and the U.S. Depart of War in fiscal year 2025 totaled $2.07 billion.

Persistent human rights concerns about arms exports

The Global Affairs Canada report on the export of military goods notes: “Saudi Arabia was the largest non-U.S. export destination by value [in 2025], receiving approximately $404 million in Canadian military exports…”

Following a public outcry, Global Affairs Canada conducted a risk assessment that in September 2019 concluded: “Officials found no credible evidence linking Canadian exports of military equipment or other controlled items to any human rights or humanitarian law violations committed by the Saudi government.”

In August 2021, Amnesty International and Project Ploughshares countered with the 50-page report: “NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE” CANADA’S FLAWED ANALYSIS OF ARMS EXPORTS TO SAUDI ARABIA.

Canada seeks to boost arms exports

The Government of Canada’s “Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy” (February 2026) has now also pledged to “Substantially increase financial support for export promotion efforts, and add new Trade Commissioners in the UK and key EU markets and ramp up Canada’s presence at major global defence and aerospace trade shows.”

That Strategy promises: “Enhanced support to Canadian firms selling abroad: When it comes to selling Canadian capabilities, the country needs more boots on the ground. This means more Trade Commissioners championing industry’s products, particularly in Europe and the United Kingdom. It means directing Canadian Defence Attachés and other Defence officials to more effectively support trade-promotion initiatives. It means a stronger and more visible Canadian presence at major international defence and aerospace trade shows. Better support for export opportunities also means stronger efforts to receive foreign buyers in Canada.”

Canada at arms fairs, increased attacks against HRDs

The Government of Canada’s pledge to be at arms fairs coincides with the UK-based Business and Human Rights Centre (BHRC) documenting an increase in “attacks” against human rights defenders opposing arms companies and arms fairs.

This past May 2026, the BHRC also documented 46 attacks against human rights defenders (HRDs) in 2025 for “raising concerns about arms and weapons companies and their complicity in conflict and genocide – a significant increase from only two attacks recorded per year in 2023 and in 2024.”

The BHRC further noted: “Protesters at arms fairs targeting companies selling weapons to Israel were detained in the United States, Turkey, Switzerland and France, whilst activists in New Zealand faced violence for protesting the militarisation of aerospace technology and its uses against civilian populations.”

Eurosatory in Paris, June 2026

The Eurosatory arms fair in Paris is taking place in the coming days, June 15-19, 2026.The Canadian Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) is highlighting that there will be a “Canada Pavillon” at Eurosatory.

Stop Arming Israel-France has noted: “From June 12 to 15, 2026, the War on War coalition is calling for a weekend of mobilization against the holding of the Eurosatory exhibition, the global supermarket of war and control.” Their four-days of activities will include: “Monday, June 15 in Villepinte to oppose the opening of the show!”

DX KOREA in 2026 Seoul ADEX in 2027

Additionally, South Korea has at least two upcoming major arms fairs.

DX KOREA is more formally called Defense Expo Korea. The next DX KOREA weapons fair will take place on September 16-19, 2026, at the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) in Goyang, north-west of Seoul.

The next Seoul ADEX, the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition, will take place on October 19–24, 2027, also at KINTEX.

There will be a “Canada Partnership Pavillion” at DX Korea in September 2026 and Canada will likely also be at Seoul ADEX in October 2027.

Protest at DX KOREA 2022

The South Korean daily newspaper The Hankyoreh has reported: “In September 2022, eight peace activists were prosecuted for obstruction of business by climbing onto armored vehicles and tanks displayed at the ‘DX KOREA 2022’ arms exhibition … playing violins and guitars, holding banners warning about the injustices in the arms industry, and shouting slogans ‘Stop profiting from war’.”

“The court sentenced each activist to a fine of 500,000 won [about CAD $460.00] and sentenced the two minors at the time to a one-year suspended sentence.”

After that: “On April 15, 2025, the Supreme Court’s Second Division … stated, ‘Matters related to the national defense industry, such as weapons production and export, have public and social significance and thus constitute matters of public interest,’ and added, ‘Restrictions on freedom of expression on public interest must be made with greater caution than in matters belonging to the private domain’…”

The case was remanded with a not guilty verdict.

Canada at DSEI in Germany and the UK, 2027

There will also be the first ever Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms show in Hanover, Germany this coming March 9-12, 2027. This has been presented as a “spin-off” of the DSEI arms fair held in London. The next DSEI UK will take place on September 7-10, 2027.

CADSI is planning a “Canada Pavillion” at both DSEI Germany in March 2027 and at DSEI UK in September 2027.

PBI-Canada was present in London, UK to observe the Quaker and wider-community protests against DSEI in September 2025.

CANSEC 2027

PBI-Canada is also following the community organizing related to the annual CANSEC arms show expected to take place on May 26-27, 2027, at the Cohere Centre in Ottawa, Canada.

For updates from the Shut Down CANSEC campaign, click here.

We continue to follow all of this with concern.

Additional reading: “Elbows up? Canada is letting Pentagon take ‘unprecedented’ stakes in Canadian mines: By fast-tracking critical minerals, Canada is not simply building a green economy. It is being further integrated into the U.S. war industry” (by Shiri Pasternak & Nessie Nankivell, The Breach, May 22, 2026).