Mining was the most common priority for Canadian-linked organizations lobbying federal lawmakers in the United States in the past year, records show.

While tariffs were top of mind for lawmakers and companies doing cross-border business in the past few months, they were specifically mentioned in U.S. lobbying reports just five times in 58 registrations and quarterly lobbying activity reports filed by companies with Canadian ties since Aug. 1, 2025.

On the other hand, more than a quarter of those filings identified critical minerals or mining issues as their main priority.

Among the registrants on the topic were Barrick Gold, Terra Energy Center Corporation, NevGold USA and Hudbay Minerals.

The companies sought to discuss conservation issues, mine permitting, supply chains and energy production.

The U.S. was the top destination for Canadian critical minerals in 2025, with exports totalling $76.4 billion.

That number represented a nine per cent reduction in the value of exports to the U.S. compared to 2024. But that was before U.S. President Donald Trump came into power and first issued tariffs on Canadian minerals including steel and aluminum, which have consistently been the top Canadian mineral exports to that country.

Trump has also repeatedly threatened to annex Canada, which former prime minister Justin Trudeau has claimed is motivated by critical minerals.

Last year, Canada started making an effort to ship more minerals elsewhere. The U.S. went from representing more than half (52 per cent) of all of Canadian critical mineral exports in 2024, to 46 per cent in 2025. The United Kingdom and China were the second and third most common buyers of Canada’s minerals last year.

In 2020, during Trump’s first term, Canada and the United States signed a joint action plan, promising to collaborate on critical minerals and ensure “the future competitiveness of Canadian and U.S. minerals industries.”

Monica Rai, a Natural Resources Canada spokesperson, said Canada continues to work with the United States on critical minerals initiatives, but the country has also further increased non-U.S. metal exports in 2026 so far.

“Among Canada's largest critical mineral exports, copper saw the most significant shift with its non-U.S. share rising from 48 to 68 per cent,” Rai said. Aluminum's non-U.S. share increased from 11 to 19 per cent, and potash's rose from 52 to 55 per cent, she said.

In the aftermath of trade negotiations between Canadian and American officials falling apart late on Aug. 21, multiple premiers suggested withholding critical minerals be part of Canada’s response to the latest round of U.S. tariffs.

According to the list of counter-tariffs released last month, Finance Canada doubled tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum. The list also included other metal products made from critical minerals like copper and potash. The counter-measures will take effect after Labour Day.

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