Foundation of the Base: Securing Supply Chains for Critical Minerals, Steel, and Aluminum

Isabella Chan has over 20 years of experience working in the public sector at the federal and provincial levels. She joined Natural Resources Canada in April 2024 as the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of the Lands and Minerals Sector. Prior to this role, she worked at the Privy Council Office as the Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Social Development Policy, and as the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch at Health Canada. Isabella has also occupied a number of executive positions at Finance Canada and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, including the role of Director General, Intergovernmental Tax Policy, Evaluation and Research Division in the Tax Policy Branch, and Executive Director, Social and Cultural Sector.

Heather Exner-Pirot is a Senior Fellow and Director of Natural Resources, Energy, and Environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. She  serves as a Special Advisor to the Business Council of Canada, and Managing Editor of the Arctic Yearbook. She is an internationally recognized scholar and policy expert whose work focuses on natural resource development, energy security, critical minerals, Arctic governance, Indigenous economic participation, and Canadian competitiveness.

Dr. Exner-Pirot has held board and fellowship appointments with Indigenous, Canadian and international institutions and is a frequent contributor to public policy discussions on resource development, trade, energy, and northern affairs. Her research emphasizes practical approaches to strengthening Canada’s economic prosperity, resilience, and strategic position through responsible development of its natural resources.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aluminium Association of Canada (AAC) since 2009, Jean Simard is the industry’s official representative and spokesperson with governments, business associations and the media, as well as with international organizations linked to the industry.

Mr. Simard holds a degree in Civil Law from the University of Ottawa and is a member of the Barreau du Québec. He possesses extensive professional experience in public policy and government relations, mainly in sustainable development, energy and environmental affairs. Prior to joining the AAC, he was Vice-President Sustainable Development, Public and Governmental Affairs, at Gaz Métro, a Quebec-based energy company.

Mr. Simard represents the AAC at the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) and at the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). He is a member of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee of the Quebec Industrial Aluminium Cluster (Alu Québec), as well as a member of the Board (Treasurer) of the Conseil patronal de l’environnement du Québec (CPEQ). Co-founder and member of the Board and Steering committee of SWITCH, the Alliance for a greener economy, he is one of the Leaders of the Canadian Smart Prosperity initiative. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices.He recently founded and co-chairs the Canada US Trade Council (CUSTC) focused on U.S. tariffs, and CUSMA renewal. He was recently appointed by the Government of Canada to the new Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations.

He received the King Charles III Coronation Medal in January 2025. This distinction was awarded in recognition of his contribution to promoting Canadian aluminium.

Amanda Hall is the CEO and Founder of Summit Lithium Technologies, a Canadian technology company advancing direct lithium extraction (DLE) to meet rapidly growing demand from electric vehicles and large‑scale energy storage. With more than 20 years as a professional geophysicist, she leads the development of high‑performance, responsible extraction technology built for modern battery supply chains. Amanda holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology/Physics (University of Toronto) and Geophysics (University of Calgary. She was the 2023 EY Entrepreneur of The Year® Prairies Winner, a Business Insider Climate Action 30 honouree, and the top innovator in the MaRS Women in Cleantech Challenge. 

Blair Dickerson serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Steel Producers Association of Canada (CSPA).

Previously in her career, Blair held leadership roles in the natural resources and mining sector in the areas of sustainability, Indigenous and community relations, and corporate affairs. She has also held leadership roles in the Forestry sector as VP of Public Affairs at Domtar.

Blair has a passion for developing and nurturing high-performing teams.

Throughout her career Blair focused on assignments in highly regulated sectors as well as in government. She worked at the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) as VP of External Relations. At Natural Resources Canada she served as Chief of Staff to the Minister working closely with the forestry, energy, and mining sectors. Early in her career Blair also served as the press secretary for the Minister of National Defence.

Blair Dickerson currently serves on the Board of Directors at 5N Plus, a leading global producer of specialty semi conductors and critical performance materials.

She has served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Mining Association of Canada, and the Canadian American Business Council. Blair has a degree in political science and economics and a master’s degree in business from Queens University.