Ontario to withhold critical mineral the U.S. needs to make batteries

Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has stated his intention to disrupt the U.S. battery supply chain by stockpiling Canadian nickel.

Canada has been working on establishing a world-class battery manufacturing pipeline as EV manufacturing becomes more prominent in the country, but now Ontario Premier Doug Ford is prepared to disrupt that.

"We'll respond strongly, and we don't want to. On the critical minerals, I will stop shipments going into the U.S. for nickel. It will shut down manufacturing," said Ford.

In 2023, Canada produced 150,000 tons of nickel, placing the country among the top ten producers of the mineral. However, countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, and Russia outperformed Canada, according to Statistica.

Canada still produces much more nickel than the U.S., and is America's largest nickel supplier, normally providing up to 40 percent of the total nickel used in the U.S., according to CRU mining. 

While nickel is growing in popularity due to its use in Lithium-ion batteries, it's mainly used to make stainless steel, which may have widespread implications for raising the costs of various products.

You can learn more about Canada's nickel production on Natural Resources Canada.

The Premier is also looking to remove American brands from the LCBO in Ontario and may rip up a deal with Elon Musk's Starlink internet company.