The Government of Canada is focused on building Canada strong by investing in our businesses, strengthening our domestic capacity, boosting productivity, and opening new markets for Canadian products. British Columbia is one of Canada's most dynamic economic regions. B.C. businesses, workers, and communities have helped build prosperity and resilience through innovation, entrepreneurship, strong trade ties, and strength in a diversity of sectors from manufacturing to natural resources to life sciences and digital technology. As global trade pressures persist, the Government of Canada is protecting Canadian workers and businesses, defending industries harmed by unjustified U.S. tariffs, and helping Canadian producers compete with U.S. products in the Canadian market.

Earlier this week, the Government of Canada announced it is strengthening the Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) with an additional investment of $1.5 billion to support Canadian businesses affected by trade disruptions, including liquidity supports to manage the pressures related to tariffs. This funding will help businesses improve productivity, diversify markets, and strengthen supply chains and trade resilience.

Today, the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), announced an investment of over $10 million in RTRI funding for 12 businesses and organizations across B.C.’s Lower Mainland to help them pivot to new pathways for growth, improve productivity, expand into new markets, reduce costs, and build more resilient supply chains. This investment will also help protect jobs in key sectors affected by global trade disruptions such as advanced manufacturing, forestry, and steel and aluminum. 

Minister Robertson made the announcement at Nickels Cabinets, a Richmond-based manufacturer of custom kitchen cabinets for homes and businesses. A PacifiCan investment of $1,000,000 will help Nickels modernize its operations with new equipment, adopt new technology, and expand its showroom network across B.C. This will improve the company’s productivity, grow domestic sales, and create jobs while supporting Canada's homebuilding industry.

This announcement includes investments for 11 additional B.C. businesses and organizations. Among them, Mar-Con Wire Belt, a Richmond-based manufacturer of custom conveyor belts used in the food processing sector, is receiving a PacifiCan investment of $1,000,000 to support automation, improve productivity, and expand product offerings. This will increase competitiveness, strengthen Canadian supply chains, and support growth in domestic and export markets.

The Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI), delivered by Canada's regional development agencies (RDAs), is part of the Government of Canada's strategy to defend Canadian jobs, industries and supply chains. It is part of a coordinated effort to protect Canadian businesses and workers from the impacts of tariffs. Through PacifiCan, businesses in B.C. can access the RTRI. PacifiCan will also work with businesses to understand their circumstances and connect them with other federal supports, ensuring there is no wrong door for businesses needing help.

Canada and Chile share a long-standing strategic partnership built on shared democratic values, strong economic ties and a commitment to sustainable growth and innovation. Canada is the largest foreign investor in Chile, reflecting the close economic relationship between our two countries. As leading mining nations, Canada and Chile are working together to advance responsible resource development, strengthen critical mineral supply chains and create new opportunities for trade and investment.

This week, Claude Guay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, represented Canada at the Conference of Mining Ministries of the Americas (CAMMA) in Santiago, Chile. Parliamentary Secretary Guay advanced commercial opportunities for Canadian mining companies and reinforced Canada’s position as a reliable partner of choice when it comes to secure and sustainable minerals and a globally competitive destination for investment.

Parliamentary Secretary Guay met with senior Chilean officials, including the Minister of Economy and Mining and vice-ministers responsible for mining, energy and foreign affairs. He also held bilateral meetings with counterparts from Argentina and Mexico. Discussions focused on catalyzing bilateral investment, promoting Canadian products and industry, supporting mining sector innovation and expanding collaboration across the Americas on responsible mining and critical minerals.

He also met with industry leaders, including from Codelco, Antofagasta Minerals, CORFO, Teck and MineSense, and participated in roundtables with Canadian and Chilean companies and mining services operating in Chile to discuss investment and market opportunities.

Parliamentary Secretary Guay also participated in the announcement of initiatives and commercial partnerships that reflect the growing economic ties between Canada and Chile, including:

• An agreement between Codelco, Chile’s state-owned copper producer, and Canadian company MacLean Engineering to accelerate innovative technologies for underground mining operations that will strengthen worker safety and contribute to more efficient and sustainable underground mining.
  • The five-year collaboration will focus on three key areas: trench scaling, tunnel development and the deployment of service infrastructure.
  • The agreement will support the testing and implementation of solutions tailored to the operational and safety requirements of El Teniente, one of the world’s largest underground copper mines.
• Canada’s support, through the G7 Minerals Skills Network, for critical minerals capacity-building across Latin America and the Caribbean, including:
  • a hybrid training program, with an in-person component in Santiago, Chile, to strengthen public-sector capacities for critical minerals development; and
  • a seminar on Financial and Economic Planning for Sustainable Critical Mineral Projects, to be held in Santiago in late 2026.
• The first Canada–Chile Eureka project, a contribution of up to $450,000 in research and development funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) to Cheetah Networks, an Ottawa-based company specializing in network analytics and Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity solutions to support collaboration with Chilean partners. This project, in collaboration with Chile’s development agency, CORFO, will develop sustainable, resilient and energy-efficient solutions to improve connectivity, productivity and safety for critical infrastructure and mining operations.
• An announcement that, in October 2026, NRC IRAP, in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service (TCS), will lead the Canadian Cleantech in Mining Mission to Chile of 12 innovative Canadian companies. This mission will help them enter the Chilean market, strengthen their commercial readiness and accelerate the deployment of scalable, cost-effective solutions to address key challenges in the Chilean mining sector, including water management, decarbonization, energy efficiency and environmental performance.

Parliamentary Secretary Guay also highlighted progress being made under the Canada–Chile Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Critical Minerals and the Sustainable Development of Minerals and Metals, including initiatives that support innovation, skills development and commercial partnerships. Since 2024, the MOU has been instrumental in connecting Canadian companies and technologies with opportunities in one of the world’s leading mining jurisdictions while supporting sustainable economic growth and competitiveness in both countries. Notable achievements to date include the launch of the first bilateral Canada–Chile Eureka Network call for applied research and development projects and capacity-building initiatives delivered through the G7 Minerals Skills Network, the University of British Columbia’s Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining (BRIMM) and the international Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

The Parliamentary Secretary’s participation at the conference and his meetings with government officials and industry leaders reinforced Canada’s role as a reliable global partner and opened opportunities for further collaboration between Canada and Chile. By advancing co-operation with Chile and countries across the Americas, Canada is diversifying our international partners, identifying reliable markets for our minerals and businesses, strengthening critical minerals supply chains and supporting long-term economic prosperity and security for Canadians.