How to Attend: The seminar is complimentary. Please register for it by Tuesday, April 28, 2026 to secure your place. RSVP via Eventbrite (click HERE) if you are interested in attending it.
For its Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Discussion Group seminar, CIM’s Management and Economics Society is pleased to welcome:
Carla Potter
Partner, Banking & Specialty Finance Group
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
and
Alison R. Manzer
Partner, Banking & Specialty Finance Group and Business Law
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
and
Ashley Glen
Director | Structured & Project Finance
Export Development Canada (EDC)
who will deliver an online panel discussion presentation on:
Critical Metals – Funding Mining and Refining in the Era of Defence Sector Spending
Abstract:
Canada has identified 34 critical minerals and metals essential for the clean energy transition, defense and high-tech industries, with a focus on lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare earth elements. The Panel discusses the nature of critical metals and the impediments to funding for development and initiation of mining and refining. The focus is on understanding those impediments and suggesting some solutions using defence sector spending.
One of the solutions to finance in an otherwise difficult sector is to consider involvement with the defence industry strategy and spend. Using expertise in defence industry finance, the panel will explore a defence financing case study and draw analogies to the critical metal funding gaps. Exploring the techniques that have been successful in defence sector financing, the panel intends to share ideas for mining alliances with those successes to accelerate the finance of mine and refine development for critical metals.
Introduction – What are critical metals and what are the financing issues
Understanding the factors affect financing in the sector
Current Finance Sources – Canada – Government and The Traditional Funding Sources
The Link to Industry – Advanced Manufacturing as an Aid to Finance
A Case Study – Using the Defence Industry and the Northern Strategy
About our presenters:
BIO: Carla Potter is a partner in the Banking & Specialty Finance Group at Cassels. Carla’s practice focuses on corporate financing and equipment finance matters, representing both lenders and borrowers involved in domestic and cross-border lending and leasing transactions and corporate reorganizations. Within her corporate finance practice, Carla regularly acts for borrowers and lenders in corporate and commercial lending, project finance, asset-based finance, convertible debt, syndicated lending and securitization transactions. She has a proven track record of working with resource companies on their project finance transactions, including project debt, subordinated debt, project finance equipment facilities and on specialty finance matters in connection with project finance transactions. Within Carla’s equipment finance practice, she regularly works with international and domestic commercial finance companies establishing lease and finance operations in Canada and with equipment finance companies on securitization transactions. Carla is recognized as a leader in her field by Chambers Canada (Banking & Finance), Best Lawyers in Canada (Equipment Finance, Banking & Finance Law), the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (Asset Equipment Finance/Leasing, Mining), and IFLR1000 (Banking) and has been recognized as a leader in the field in Lexpert’s Special Edition on Energy and Mining. Carla has completed the Osgoode Certificate in ESG, Climate Risk and The Law.
BIO: Alison Manzer is a partner in the Banking & Specialty Finance Group and Business Law practice at Cassels. Alison has developed expertise in a wide range of practice areas combining skills to work effectively in most corporate/ commercial practice areas, with a focus on financial services and structured transactions. Her recent experience includes block chain and fintech applications. Her cross-border expertise has led to several leadership roles in the leading United States business law organizations such as the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers and the American Bar Association. Alison has written many books on legal topics, primarily in areas of banking and specialized finance, and routinely lectures and speaks on a wide range of topics. She has undertaken extensive formal education in areas key to her practice, holding degrees including a DBA, MBA, LLM, and MSc., and certificates in the advanced Canadian Securities Institute programs. Alison holds her Doctorate of Business Administration from the Henley Business School. She is also an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School teaching the LLM International Finance program, and has been practicing in the field of commercial law since 1979.
BIO: Ashley Glen of Export Development Canada (“EDC”) has been structuring innovative and complementary financing in support of Canadian exporters and investors for 15 years. Since joining EDC in 2011, Ashley has worked exclusively within EDC’s Structured and Project Finance Group with a focus on extractive industries (including mining, metals, pipelines and natural resources). In 2021, Ashley assumed her current role as Director – Extractive Industries, Structured & Project Finance, leading the team responsible for underwriting project financings in the mining, metals and resources sector. In her current role, she is also focused on finding innovative debt solutions that support the build-out of critical mineral supply chains and the integration of sustainable technologies for Canadian exporters in the extractive sector. Prior to leading the Extractive Industries team, she was a senior underwriter in the same group. Ashley previously worked for TD Securities, and she holds a Master of Financial Economics (MFE) from Rotman and a CFA.
Please join us!
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 3:30pm ET (12:30pm PT)
Sponsored by: 
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