The frozen wilderness of Smithers, Canada may hold the key to breaking America's dangerous dependence on Chinese critical minerals—and President Trump's push for mineral independence is driving operations in some of the most remote locations on earth.
Our investigation has reached Day 3, with crews now positioned at the epicenter of active drilling operations where two rigs are turning 24/7, pulling core samples from deep beneath the frozen Canadian landscape. The brutal cold hasn't stopped the search for copper and other strategic minerals that could end China's chokehold on American defense capabilities forever.
This isn't some corporate boardroom presentation, folks. This is real mining exploration in real conditions—rustic core sheds, frozen access trails, and literal X marks on maps showing potential discovery sites. When spring arrives, there's copper literally sticking out of the ground at a location called Copper Pond, currently buried under heavy snow but actively being explored by relentless drilling crews.
Trump's Critical Minerals Strategy in Action
President Trump launched his critical minerals initiative after China threatened to cut off American mineral access the moment tariffs were announced. That threat exposed a massive vulnerability in American national security—one that operations like this Smithers project are working to eliminate completely.
The Canadian operation serves as proof of concept for the larger Alaska mine that's already received official endorsement from Alaska's governor. Everything happening in this frozen wilderness is preparation for domestic operations that will supply American industry with critical minerals extracted from sovereign U.S. territory.
"This is not just about mining rocks from the ground," sources close to the operation explained. "This is about American sovereignty. This is about making absolutely sure that when an enemy threatens to cut off our supply chain, we can look them directly in the eye and say we don't need you anymore."
The geology teams are analyzing every inch of core sample material, searching for the discovery that could validate the entire operation and prove definitively that North America has the resources to break free from foreign mineral dependency once and for all.
While other news outlets stay warm in their studios, Next News Network is bringing you the real story from the frozen front lines where America's mineral independence is being fought and won, one drill core at a time.