U.S. Pentagon Joins with Canadian Government to Fund Graphite Mine in Quebec
Protest by local residents in 2021 against opening the graphite mine.
On May 16, Energy and Natural Resources of Canada and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced they are investing C$4.9 million and U.S.$8.4 million respectively in Lomiko Metals to develop a graphite mineral deposit located near Duhamel in Southwestern Quebec, along with similar funding from the same Canadian and U.S. agencies to develop a cobalt-bismuth mine in the Northwest Territories.
In the case of the La Loutre graphite deposit near Duhamel, Quebec, the Canadian government says its aim is to "fund pilot plant testing to convert flake graphite into battery-grade material" while the U.S. DoD states that both Canadian and U.S. funds are to "enable the company to advance the La Loutre natural flake graphite project as a supplier of high-quality graphite for defense applications and the growing electric vehicle market in North America."[1][2]
The same day, the U.S. White House and the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, Chrystia Freeland, released a joint statement announcing the renewal, for an additional year, of the Canada-U.S. Energy Transformation Task Force (ETTF) that was launched in March 2023 during the first state visit of U.S. President Biden to Canada. The statement regarding the renewal of the ETTF and investments in the mineral sector says, "These announcements by the United States and Canada demonstrate our commitment to implementing a joint vision of developing sustainable, integrated critical mineral supply chains that will serve North American advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and defense sectors."[3]
The statement goes on to say that "Through the ETTF, Canada and the United States have advanced shared priorities to deploy clean energy solutions at scale and support the development of critical mineral and civil nuclear supply chains that will fuel the development of an integrated, North American industry capable of supporting the energy transition in our respective countries and around the world."
Graphite Essential to U.S. War Production and its Quest for World Hegemony
An article published April 4 in Mining.com entitled "Graphite's war-fighting capabilities," says "The energy transition and digitalization have made critical minerals top of mind for policymakers and investors alike. However, little is said about the role that these minerals, including graphite, play in the defence sector, and the impact of supply chain disruptions on the world's militaries."
"The danger of running out of minerals needed to build weapons and defend territories is a heightened risk now, during a period of intensified global conflict. With wars raging on two fronts – Eastern Europe and the Middle East – not to mention numerous smaller wars like the conflicts in Yemen and the DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo], nations are girding for war and re-arming their militaries, pushing up demand for critical and non-critical minerals including graphite, aluminum, steel, iron, rare earths, nickel and titanium." The article continues, "According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the military is prioritizing maritime and air forces that would play central roles in the Indo-Pacific region [...] Despite this re-arming trend, the U.S. military and its NATO allies face dwindling stockpiles of minerals for military use. The problem is especially grave considering that China, now America's strongest foe militarily, controls the market for most critical minerals and the United States is dependent on China (and Russia) for the materials required for building its military equipment and weaponry."
Further in the article the unique properties of graphite are explained: "Virtually every U.S. military system requires mineral components, from steel and titanium to graphite composites and cadmium alloys." Quoting from the U.S. military's Modern War Institute, the article points out that "Global defense spending shows that military demand is increasing for these platforms, munitions, and thus minerals" and goes on to say that "Graphite is the ideal material for defence purposes thanks to its unique properties, i.e., it is able to withstand very high temperatures with a high melting ... point; it is stable at these high temperatures; it is lightweight and easy to machine; and it is corrosion-resistant."
"Graphite is used in almost every component of the most advanced fighter planes, and in many tank parts. Graphite is also used to make non-lethal bombs that disable electrical grids and as an obscurant smoke on the battle field."
The article goes on to explain why the U.S. imperialists need a secured supply-chain for critical minerals such as graphite.
"Graphite is:
- One of 14 listed minerals for which the U.S. is 100 per cent import-dependent.
- One of nine listed minerals meeting all six of the industrial/defense sector indicators identified by the U.S. government report.
- One of four listed minerals for which the U.S. is 100 per cent import-dependent while meeting all six industrial/defense sector indicators.
- One of three listed minerals which meet all industrial/defense sector indicators – and for which China is the leading global producer and leading U.S. supplier.
"A report last year from the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies found that natural graphite and aluminium are the materials most commonly used across military applications and are also subject to considerable supply security risks that stem from the lack of suppliers' diversification and the instability associated with supplying countries."
In
the table, natural graphite is rated very high risk, identified for use
in fighter aircraft, main battle tanks, submarines, corvettes,
artillery and ammunition – Source : Hague Centre for Strategic
Studies.
Click on image to enlarge.
Quebec Government in Lock Step with Canadian and U.S. Governments
When asked to comment on the U.S. Department of Defense funding of the pilot project for the graphite mine deposit near Duhamel, Quebec, Quebec Minister of Natural Resources, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, would not say what she thinks of the DoD grant, but said that the project will have to be accepted by local residents before it can go ahead. "The mining project must go hand in hand with social acceptability," she said in a written statement.
Complaining about the fact the Canadian government went ahead with the financial announcement for Lomiko Metals without consulting the Quebec government, she added that "This case shows just how important it is to respect our area of expertise to ensure that projects fit in as well as possible with the environments in which they are set up."
The Minister's talk of "social acceptability" and the requirement that "projects fit in as well as possible with the environments in which they are set up" is in complete contradiction to what her own government is doing on these matters.
On May 28 she was the Minister who tabled Bill 63, An Act to amend the Mining Act and other provisions at the National Assembly of Quebec. The bill is supposed to address, in part, the concerns of many owners of private land faced with a mining exploration boom for critical minerals such as graphite that has been going on since 2020.
The Minister of Natural Resources is responsible for the consultations held before Bill 63 was tabled in the National Assembly. She had actually announced that she wanted to listen to all citizens. However, the consultation mechanism was left in the hands of a private firm that brought together various stakeholders across Quebec. While the government did not even bother to send representatives to listen to the public the mining industry had the privilege of bringing its various points of view directly to government representatives.
So That Quebec Looks Better Coalition (QMM), a coalition made up of about thirty environmental organizations, had this to say about the Minister's refusal to take a stand in regard to the U.S. DoD financing of Lomiko Metal's La Loutre graphite mining project: "In an increasingly conflict-ridden world, it has long been established that a significant proportion of Quebec's supposedly critical and strategic minerals are being coveted to fuel the arms race. During the study of the Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry's (MRNF) appropriations on April 25, Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina clearly stated her goal is of 'developing an energy pathway and supply chain for the U.S. government's transition.'"
Mining claims in the region active
as of August 2023 highlighted in red. Click on image to enlarge.
Local Residents Organizing Opposition to the Opening of the Graphite Mine
Since 2021, the local residents of Southwest Quebec have organized themselves in the Petite-Nation Lakes Protection Group (RPLPN) that includes 25 villages and towns that are part of the Papineau Regional county municipalities (MRC), with a population of 23,000. The group's website says: "Located on the territory of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg (KZA) First Nations, Petite-Nation forms a green triangle close to Montreal, Ottawa/Gatineau and Mont-Tremblant."[4]
It adds "The mining industry seems to want to impose a sad reality
on us: that of open-pit graphite mining. The threat of these mines is
disrupting the peace of mind and potentially the health of thousands of
residents. Today, they are mobilizing to oppose the arrival of mining
exploration
companies. The communities are determined to defend their right to
health and well-being, in other words their quality of life in a
precious natural environment rich in biodiversity. We do not want our
territory to be sacrificed for considerations of financial gain
camouflaged under greenwashing
pretenses." They refer to the fact that there is already evidence of
harm at the St-Michel-des-Saints open-pit graphite mine operation, the
biggest one in North America, located 100 km north east of Montreal.
Other organizations have added their voices since the May 16 announcement that the U.S. would be financing Lomiko Metal's graphite mine project including the Quebec Coalition of Lakes Incompatible with Mining Activity (QLAIM). One of the demands of the organizations is a moratorium on all mining claims in Quebec, a demand that the Legault government has refused to agree to, saying it would "send a signal across the world that Quebec is no longer open for business."
People in the area have already organized demonstrations to demand an end to free mining and are planning to attend the public meeting on July 21 in the village of Duhamel where representatives of Lomiko Metals will be present.[5][6]
Rodrigue Turgeon, a lawyer and co-spokesperson for the QMM coalition and National Program Co-Lead for MiningWatch Canada pointed out that the project has not been subject to any environmental assessment and that people are angry at the way things are being done. He said, "Militarizing a harmful mining project that has been rejected by the public even before an environmental assessment has been carried out is an extraordinary act of violence by the system against the people and nature that our governments are supposed to be defending, not attacking."
This article was published in
Volume 54 Number 5 - June 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/M540056.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca