Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne was coy about what kind of Canadian subsidies could follow to lure Japanese battery makers into Canada, though he and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson both mentioned discussions underway with Toyota and Honda.
He called it a signal"that there is interest on the part of the Japanese in actually looking at manufacturing of batteries in Canada and that Canada is interested in being a supplier to ensure that Japan has access to the kinds of materials that it needs that it does not have domestically," Wilkinson said.
"In this context, the need for co-operation between Japan and Canada has increased greatly. We share common values and are good partners in the Indo-Pacific region."Both Canada and Japan want to counter China's economic and political dominance in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as in the global battery industry.
On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada's intelligence services have credible evidence that Indian government agents were connected to the shooting death of a Vancouver Sikh leader in June.