Critical minerals, VIA Rail and immigration in the spotlight – iPolitics

February 23, 2026

What’s on the agenda for the House and Senate committees today.

Representatives from the Business Council of Canada, Mining Association of Canada, Vale Base Metals and the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines share their respective perspectives on the “nexus between national defence, national security and Canada’s critical minerals sector” at NATIONAL DEFENCE. (11 a.m.)

Meanwhile, TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES members will get the chance to question Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon about “improving VIA Rail’s safety and customer service,” as well as ongoing efforts aimed at “supporting, diversifying and modernizing” Canada’s ports, with senior officials from the Hamilton-Oshawa, Nanaimo and Quebec port authorities also on the witness list. (11 a.m.)

Read More: https://www.ipolitics.ca/2026/02/23/critical-minerals-via-rail-and-immigration-in-the-spotlight/