Greenpeace Canada Calls for Withdrawal of Carney’s Support for U.S.-Owned Torngat Metals Project

MONTREAL – In response to Radio-Canada revealing that the chairman of the board of the Torngat Metals project is Thomas F. Gilman, a member of Donald Trump’s inner circle and a key author of the infamous Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, Greenpeace Canada’s climate campaigner Louis Couillard said : “It’s deeply troubling that the Carney government is backing a project led by someone who actively works to undermine climate science”. 

This comes as the Carney government has pledged support for the $2 billion rare earth mining project. Torngat Metals is also rumoured to be on the short-list of projects being studied by The Major Projects Office (MPO) to be designated of national interest under Bill C-5, raising serious questions about how a venture majority-owned by U.S. private equity and led by a climate change denier serves Canadian national interests. “True national interest means investing in solutions that address Canadians’ pressing needs—affordable housing, healthcare infrastructure, and real climate action—not funneling public dollars into a U.S.-owned extractive project led by a Trump administration ally” added Louis Couillard.

The Strange Lake rare earth project piloted by Torngat Metals is a proposed $2 billion open-pit mine in northern Quebec and Labrador that aims to extract heavy rare earth elements. “Canada and Quebec have no regulatory guarantees that these critical minerals will serve the energy transition rather than for military purposes,” added Louis Couillard. “Without binding commitments, this project risks making us complicit in global arms proliferation while we bear all the environmental and social costs.”

Greenpeace Canada is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier François Legault to immediately reconsider their support for this project. If Canada is serious about nation-building, it should prioritize projects that genuinely serve Canadians’ needs and respect Indigenous rights, not ventures that primarily advance U.S. geopolitical interests under the guise of climate solutions. Greenpeace Canada also calls for regulatory guarantees in Canada and Quebec to ensure critical minerals will serve the energy transition rather than for military purposes.

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Additional background information :

  • National interest : Today, Radio-Canada revealed that the chairman of the board of the Torngat Metals project is Thomas F. Gilman, a key author of the infamous Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 where he denounces “climate alarmism” and proposes dismantling government climate agencies. This comes as the Carney government has pledged support for the $2 billion rare earth mining project. Torngat Metals is also rumoured to be on the short-list of projects being studied by The Major Projects Office (MPO) to be designated of national interest under Bill C-5, raising serious questions about how a venture majority-owned by U.S. private equity and led by a climate change denier serves Canadian national interests

  • U.S.financial involvement links with military industry : the Torngat Metals project, also known as Strange Lake, is majority owned by Cerberus Capital Management, a U.S. private equity firm with a controversial history in the arms trade. Radio-Canada previously confirmed that a major share of production will go to German firm Vacuumschmelze, which supplies components for F-35 fighter jets, guided missiles, and weapons systems. Key rare earth elements like dysprosium and terbium extracted from this project could end up in military applications rather than renewable energy technologies.

For more information, contact:

Louis Couillard, Climate Campaigner | Greenpeace Canada | 515 531 6740 | [email protected]

Patou Oumarou, Campaign Communications Officer | Greenpeace Canada | 418 431 0263 | [email protected]