Thank you, Mr. Chair. Hopefully, you can hear me. If you can't, please let me know. I apologize for what appears to be a disco light above my head but I assure you is not.
Thank you again, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the members of the committee for the invitation to appear today.
I'm Sandeep Singh, president and CEO of Western Copper and Gold. I've spent my entire career in mining. I will start by saying that I am genuinely encouraged by what I'm seeing at the moment. The conversations we're having around mining have shifted. I think we're recognizing as a society its vital role in Canada's future. I'll also mention that the government has taken important steps with the critical minerals infrastructure fund in particular and the Major Projects Office that has just started off. I'm pleased to see that government at all levels, including this committee, is continuing to reconfirm that commitment.
I look forward to sharing our experience regarding the Casino Project in the Yukon—Canada’s largest critical minerals project in terms of annual revenue.
Casino is a great example of how critical minerals development can serve multiple national priorities: provide substantial economic benefits, strengthen domestic supply chains, justify infrastructure investments and bolster Arctic sovereignty.
We are in a global race for critical minerals. I regret to say that the west is behind. Countries are investing enormous sums in securing supply. The one thing Canada has that money cannot buy, unless we allow it, is that we have the mineral endowment itself. We have the resources the world needs and we have the talent required to extract them sustainably. The question isn't whether we can compete: It's whether we can execute and whether we can move fast enough to capitalize on our innate advantages and rise up to the moment.
Our project, the Casino project in the Yukon, demonstrates what's possible when geology, partnerships and policy align. The economic impact of our project is profound. Over its phase one, 27-year mine life, Casino would contribute nearly $61 billion to Canada's GDP, including $51 billion directly in the Yukon, and deliver $19 billion in tax and royalty revenues based on a conservative consensus on long-term commodity prices. As a result, the project has attracted multiple equity investments from Rio Tinto and Mitsubishi Materials, world-class copper groups based in allied G7 countries.
The mineral contribution is equally significant. Casino holds just over five billion pounds of copper reserves, the third largest in North America. At 241 million pounds annually, Casino alone could increase Canada's national copper production by more than 15%. For molybdenum, Casino holds the largest reserve in North America, with the potential to increase Canada's output fivefold. The significant gold content, of over 10 million ounces in reserves, makes the project incredibly resilient for future cyclical downturns in critical minerals. This is a generational mine once permitted and built.
The Yukon and Canada's north have demonstrated exceptional geological potential—the Yukon has 27 out of 34 metals on the critical minerals list in 2025—and yet the region remains vastly underexplored compared with southern jurisdictions. The primary reason is lack of infrastructure. The solution is dual-use infrastructure that serves both industry and communities. In our case, Casino requires 130 megawatts of power to become that generational mine. Yukon's isolated grid relies on rental diesel generators to keep up with the current demand and cannot support this additional load, obviously. Our plan is to produce power at site using LNG, which is our base case in the current environment, but the proposed B.C.-Yukon grid connect—already supported with $40 million in federal CMIF funding, I should mention—would enable Casino to run on clean hydroelectric power while transforming energy access in the region.
I am pleased to relay and suggest that the B.C.-Yukon grid connect has the support of the B.C. and Yukon governments as well as first nations on both sides, and that the proposal appears to be on the short list of projects being considered by the Major Projects Office, at least based on news reports. We believe our project and the grid connect are symbiotic, as without projects like ours as offtakers, it is difficult to justify the infrastructure investment that helps all Yukoners and bolsters Arctic security.
Critical minerals development only succeeds in partnership with indigenous communities.
At Casino, we’ve prioritized relationships with affected Yukon first nations. We’ve signed co-operation agreements, conducted collaborative environmental and traditional knowledge studies, and provided millions in funding to support their participation in the assessment process.
Major projects in the north face complex tripartite assessment processes involving federal, territorial and indigenous decision-makers. Success requires proactive federal coordination to prevent delays from departmental silos, timely Crown consultation with first nations, a clear focus on assessment mandates and adequate resourcing for both assessment bodies and indigenous participation.
Projects like Casino, major by any standard, not just northern standards, would benefit from robust federal coordination mechanisms that ensure appropriate attention and drive accountability across departments.
Mr. Chair, members of the committee, I want to say that Canada's critical minerals opportunity is real.
Casino represents the type of critical minerals project that Canada needs—one that brings infrastructure north, strengthens supply chains and drives sustained northern prosperity.
Thank you.