It has been a busy year for Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne. He has several responsibilities, but building a new battery sector seemed to keep him the most occupied in 2023 as Canada inked multi-billion-dollar deals with battery and automakers Stellantis NV, LG Energy Solution Ltd., Volkswagen AG and Northvolt AB to build three battery plants.
Investment
‘Seized the moment’: Watershed year for EVs paving way for billions in new investment, Champagne says
In the case of Stellantis and LG, Champagne didn’t just need to ink a deal. He had to spend an extra two months improving it to match incentives provided by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the United States to ensure the companies remained in Canada. Passed last year, the IRA encourages companies to set up factories in the U.S. by issuing financial support.
FP: There have been quite a few battery deals this year. Did everything go according to plan, or were there more deals on the table that didn’t work out?
FP: There has been a lot of progress in the battery sector, but also some criticism due to the billions of dollars of incentives. Since it is a new industry that Canada is committing to, did you ever think about taking a step back amidst the criticism? Did you feel nervous at some point?
Had we failed, that would have been the beginning of the end of the auto sector in Canada
Francois-Philippe Champagne
FPC: No. When I started as the minister of industry, officials were preparing me for the decline of the auto sector in Canada, and what we have done now is that we have seized the moment. Had we failed, that would have been the beginning of the end of the auto sector in Canada. That was really the visionary part for me.
Look at the payback of these investments. Stellantis will contribute an estimated $200 billion to $400 billion to the Canadian economy in 30 years. People will look back at these things and say this is the best investment we could have ever done.
At first, there was something that was somewhat misunderstood. Whether you take Stellantis, or the other plants, it is the company that is investing to build a plant, $3.4 billion, and the production support that is deeply conditional, that is depending upon when the plant is going to open, what’s going to be the production and if, which is a big if, the IRA is still going to be in place in the United States. Most of the amounts that have been reported are deeply conditional. There is no money going to them unless they start production, unless they sell the battery and unless the IRA is still in place.
FP: It’s been a year since Canada asked three Chinese companies to divest their shares in three Canadian lithium junior companies. How do you think that announcement influenced the mining industry or helped Canada in the past year?
FPC: The role of any government is to make sure that we protect our national security and economic security. Some of the critical minerals are strategic for the country, and within the framework of the Investment Canada Act, they would be subject to enhanced scrutiny.
At that time, there were some people who were suggesting (the decision) could slow down the level of investment in the Canadian mining sector and I would say, when you look at BHP, Rio Tinto, some of these investments are among the largest in the world, they are doubling down on Canada. They realize that Canada is one of the few countries which has all the critical minerals to make a battery and a semiconductor.
I’ll say we will never compromise when it comes to national security
Francois-Philippe Champagne
One of the big shifts we are seeing now is that the supply chain is going from global to regional, where we have far more emphasis on resiliency, and one of the things that makes Canada unique is proximity when it comes to critical minerals: proximity to resources, assembly lines and markets. That is why you have seen the likes of Rio Tinto and many others wanting to invest more. In my view, talking to the CEOs of these global companies, they see Canada as one of the most attractive jurisdictions.
FP: The companies you mention are all big. But the Chinese investments are more for junior miners. In the past year, there have been some companies trying to test the system with Chinese investments despite the ban. Some are trying to re-domicile outside Canada. What’s your message to companies like these?
FPC: I’ll say we will never compromise when it comes to national security. That’s the clear message we are sending to them. And when I talk to investment funds around the world, there are significant investors that want to invest in Canada and in the mining sector in Canada. For example, I just came from COP28, there is capital for junior miners that want to develop in Canada and there is a lot of interest from different funds in the world. I would say there is alternative capital that is available for companies, and there are many projects where they not only have financial investors, but what’s interesting now is that the OEM is also interested in mines.
We received, for example, the battery alliances of Japan and Korea; we had investors looking for investment in graphite, nickel, copper, manganese. I see a number of investors very keen to invest and develop the mining and refining capacity in Canada.
FP: There are no concerns of mining companies trying to re-domicile outside Canada?
FPC: I am never going to compromise on national security, and when I see the level of investment in the mining sector, you are right that BHP and Rio Tinto are very large, but it sends a very big signal when you have the two largest miners in the world. They have a choice and they are doubling down on Canada. That must be sending a message to the whole industry that there is something going on in Canada. To me, these large investments are a vote of confidence in Canada.
FP: You are trying to tap Canadian pensions to invest in EV battery plants. How is that coming along?
FPC: Well, it’s an opportunity. My job is to provide opportunities for Canadian businesses. But, obviously, it’s for market participants to decide what they want. My job is to facilitate and convene, and that’s what I have been doing in 2023. Then it’s for the market players to decide. One of the great examples is when Brookfield and Intel teamed up to build one of the largest semiconductor facilities. I think it’s a great model and certainly it’s a model that is available and I have been promoting.
Economy
Energy stocks help lift S&P/TSX composite, U.S. stock markets also up
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was higher in late-morning trading, helped by strength in energy stocks, while U.S. stock markets also moved up.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 34.91 points at 23,736.98.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 178.05 points at 41,800.13. The S&P 500 index was up 28.38 points at 5,661.47, while the Nasdaq composite was up 133.17 points at 17,725.30.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.56 cents US compared with 73.57 cents US on Monday.
The November crude oil contract was up 68 cents at US$69.70 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up three cents at US$2.40 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$7.80 at US$2,601.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.28 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Economy
S&P/TSX gains almost 100 points, U.S. markets also higher ahead of rate decision
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets climbed to their best week of the year.
“It’s been almost a complete opposite or retracement of what we saw last week,” said Philip Petursson, chief investment strategist at IG Wealth Management.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.
While last week saw a “healthy” pullback on weaker economic data, this week investors appeared to be buying the dip and hoping the central bank “comes to the rescue,” said Petursson.
Next week, the U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut its key interest rate for the first time in several years after it significantly hiked it to fight inflation.
But the magnitude of that first cut has been the subject of debate, and the market appears split on whether the cut will be a quarter of a percentage point or a larger half-point reduction.
Petursson thinks it’s clear the smaller cut is coming. Economic data recently hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been that bad either, he said — and inflation may have come down significantly, but it’s not defeated just yet.
“I think they’re going to be very steady,” he said, with one small cut at each of their three decisions scheduled for the rest of 2024, and more into 2025.
“I don’t think there’s a sense of urgency on the part of the Fed that they have to do something immediately.
A larger cut could also send the wrong message to the markets, added Petursson: that the Fed made a mistake in waiting this long to cut, or that it’s seeing concerning signs in the economy.
It would also be “counter to what they’ve signaled,” he said.
More important than the cut — other than the new tone it sets — will be what Fed chair Jerome Powell has to say, according to Petursson.
“That’s going to be more important than the size of the cut itself,” he said.
In Canada, where the central bank has already cut three times, Petursson expects two more before the year is through.
“Here, the labour situation is worse than what we see in the United States,” he said.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.
— With files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Economy
S&P/TSX composite down more than 200 points, U.S. stock markets also fall
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was down more than 200 points in late-morning trading, weighed down by losses in the technology, base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets also fell.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 239.24 points at 22,749.04.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 312.36 points at 40,443.39. The S&P 500 index was down 80.94 points at 5,422.47, while the Nasdaq composite was down 380.17 points at 16,747.49.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.80 cents US compared with 74.00 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down US$1.07 at US$68.08 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.26 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$2.10 at US$2,541.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was down four cents at US$4.10 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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