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Jul. 20, 2026 01:45PM PST
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What are the top Canadian rare earths stocks? These rare earth metals companies are the best performers this year so far.
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Rare earth elements (REEs) are important for many of today's technologies and tomorrow's carbon-free economy.
Investors may not be familiar with the metals individually, but the group of elements is found in technology all around us, commonly in the form of rare earth magnets, which are used in everything from electric vehicles (EVs) to smartphones to wind turbines. As technology advances, they are expected to remain in high demand.
In 2026, the rare earths market is navigating a volatile yet strategically critical phase that is being shaped by supply concerns, demand fluctuations and intensifying US-China trade tensions.
Rare earth metals demand continues to be driven by uses such as clean energy technologies — particularly permanent magnets used in EVs and wind turbines — as well as by the defense and electronics industries.
In 2025, roughly 40 percent of rare earths demand was tied to magnets. By 2035, Benchmark expects that figure to exceed 50 percent.
On the supply side, China's influence remains significant, accounting for over 60 percent of the world’s rare earths mining and 90 percent of processing. Beijing’s export controls on the strategic minerals, which came in response to tariffs enacted by US President Donald Trump, has intensified concerns about global supply chain vulnerability.
These measures have especially impacted US and European manufacturers, prompting renewed efforts to diversify supply, invest in recycling technologies and accelerate domestic production projects.
In response to China’s rare earths export measures, the Trump administration initiated a Section 232 national security probe into the rare earths supply chain in April, sparking renewed interest in miners, producers and refiners.
Here the Investing News Network looks at the Canadian rare earth metals companies on the TSX, TSXV and the CSE with the biggest share price gains over the past year. Stocks with market caps above C$10 million were considered. This top Canadian rare earths stocks list was compiled using TradingView’s stock screener, and data was gathered on July 7, 2026.
1. Aclara Resources (TSX:ARA)
Yearly gain: 76.04 percent
Market cap: C$930.97 million
Share price: C$3.82
Aclara Resources is building a vertically integrated rare earth supply chain for permanent magnets. The company is advancing its two rare earth projects, the Carina project in Brazil and the Penco Module project in Chile, towards production from ionic clay deposits.
Further along the value chain, its wholly owned subsidiary Aclara Technologies is developing a heavy rare earth elements (HREE) separation plant in Louisiana, US. Through a joint venture partnership with Chilean mining conglomerate CAP, refined rare earth oxides produced at the plant will be converted into alloys for fabricating permanent magnets.
Shares of Aclara ended 2025 at C$2.16, and more than doubled its share price to C$4.45 per share by January 28 as rare earths prices rallied on tightening Chinese export quotas.
A series of positive news flow in March and April alongside China's 45 percent hike in rare earth concentrate prices helped boost the stock further to a year-to-date high of C$5.22 on April 27.
In mid-March, Aclara announced the opening of its rare earth separation pilot plant located at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
On April 1, the company reached the final stages of the permitting process for the Penco Module project with the submission of the Extraordinary Addendum to the Environmental Assessment Service of Chile as part of the environmental impact assessment (EIA).
Also in April, Aclara completed its feasibility study for the Carina project. It is expected to produce an average of 4,378 metric tons of rare earth oxides annually, containing a mix of dysprosium and terbium (DyTb), neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr), samarium, gadolinium and more. As for project economics, the company reported an after-tax net present value (NPV) of US$1.7 billion and internal rate of return (IRR) of 26.9 percent, with a payback period of 2.9 years.
Aclara also had some funding success in the second quarter with the completion of a US$50 million private placement in mid-May, and the approval of US$20 million in tax exemptions from the Louisiana government for its US rare earth facility in late June.
The Chilean government approved Penco's EIA in mid-June, marking a significant milestone for the project. Aclara is now working towards completing a feasibility study for the project by the end of the year, and is anticipating to begin commissioning the operation by mid-2028.
Aclara ended Q2 with news that it completed development of its super pure rare earth carbonate product, which contains about 99 percent rare earth elements.
2. Neotech Metals (CSE:NTMC)
Yearly gain: 33.33 percent
Market cap: C$19.79 million
Share price: C$0.30
Neotech Metals is exploring and developing wholly owned rare earths and critical minerals projects in Canada. In Ontario, the company has the Hecla-Kilmer REE-niobium-phosphate project and the recently acquired Torrance project, which is prospective for niobium, tantalum and rare earths. The Torrance acquisition was announced on April 29. It also owns the TREO and Foothills projects in British Columbia.
The company's stock started out 2026 trading at C$0.24 per share, and later rallied alongside rare earth metals to a year-to-date high of C$0.36 on April 27.
In late March, Neotech received an up to C$200,000 grant for exploration expenditures at its Hecla-Kilmer project from the Government of Ontario's Ontario Junior Exploration Program. The funding will be applied to the company's 2025 exploration work.
Through late-April and mid-May, Neotech released a series of drill results from its 2025 drill campaign at Hecla-Kilmer, which it plans to incorporate into a maiden resource estimate later this year.
Highlights from the April 21 and April 27 assay result releases, respectively, include 214 meters of 0.67 percent total rare earth oxide (TREO), 21.2 g/t gallium oxide, 21.9 g/t tantalum and 0.1 percent niobium at the Southern Pike Zone; and 408.4 meters of 0.53 percent TREO, 4.2 percent phosphate, 21.5 g/t gallium and 0.13 percent niobium at the Central Pike Zone.
More exploration results on May 11 showed that the company's efforts had confirmed a 600 meter northern extension of the Pike Zone mineralization, extending the trend to a strike of almost 1,600 meters. In its final release of assays from the 2025 campaign on May 13, results showed further broad intervals of mineralization, with one including a 17.4 meter length grading 0.95 percent TREO.
3. Leading Edge Materials (TSXV:LEM)
Yearly gain: 24.49 percent
Market cap: C$83.7 million
Share price: C$0.305
Leading Edge Materials is focused on developing three critical raw materials projects located in the EU. Its portfolio includes the wholly owned Norra Kärr heavy rare earth elements project and the Woxna graphite mine in Sweden. The company also has a 90 percent stake in the Bihor Sud nickel-cobalt exploration alliance in Romania, which it increased from 51 percent in May.
According to the Geological Survey of Sweden, the Norra Kärr deposit is one of the highest-grade rare earths deposits in Europe, including HREEs dysprosium, terbium and yttrium.
Leading Edge's shares were trading at C$0.25 at the top of 2026, and spiked to C$0.36 on January 23.
In early February, the company announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ascension Earth Resources to collaborate on a larger-scale pilot plant project to assess new recovery methods for HREEs from Norra Kärr if the evaluation phase of the project proves successful.
Shares of Leading Edge hit a year-to-date high of C$0.40 on March 10, following news that the Swedish Mining Inspectorate had submitted the exploitation license for Norra Kärr to the Swedish government for approval.
A few months later, the agency granted the license, covering a 25 year period, on June 28. As it works towards an updated pre-feasibility study (PFS) for the project, Leading Edge's next steps will also include advancing environmental permitting and working to secure funding to bring Norra Kärr into production through talks with potential offtake partners and financiers.
The company is also considering reapplying for Strategic Project designation under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act.
4. Resouro Strategic Metals (TSXV:RSM)
Yearly gain: 22.92 percent
Market cap: C$27.67 million
Share price: C$0.295
Resouro Strategic Metals is an exploration and development-stage company with a portfolio of projects in Brazil. Its flagship property is the Tiros titanium and rare earths project in Minas Gerais state. The company is also developing the Novo Mundo gold project in Mato Grosso state.
Resouro released an updated mineral resource estimate for Tiros in April 2025, reporting measured resources of 367 million metric tons of ore grading 12 percent titanium oxide and 4,100 parts per million (ppm) TREO, and indicated resources of 1 billion metric tons at 12 percent titanium oxide and 4,000 ppm TREO.
Shares of the company began the year at C$0.24 and jumped to C$0.32 on January 26 as rare earths rallied. The stock rose higher over the course of the next month to reach its year-to-date high of C$0.40 on February 20.
On February 27, the company released the results of metallurgical testwork conducted as part of preparations for a preliminary economic assessment (PEA).
The completed PEA announced on June 14 focuses on a smaller operation with room to scale, based on an annual processing throughput of 500,000 metric tons over an initial mine life of 20 years. Over the life of the mine, feedstock is expected to have an average grade of 26.3 percent titanium oxide and 10,832 ppm TREO with a 2.7 strip ratio. The economic highlights include an after-tax NPV of US$714.9 million and IRR of 44.2 percent, with a payback period of 1.3 years.
FAQs for rare earth investing
What are rare earth minerals?
Rare earths are a category of elements that share many chemical properties. In fact, all but two — yttrium and scandium — are also called lanthanides. These elements are commonly found in the same deposits and are necessary for diverse technological applications such as rare earth magnets.
How many rare earth elements are there?
In total there are 17 elements that make up the rare earths category, and they are split into light and heavy rare earths. On the light side, there are cerium, lanthanum, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, europium, gadolinium and samarium, and on the heavy side there are dysprosium, yttrium, terbium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, yttrium and lutetium.
Where are rare earth metals found?
In terms of both reserves and production, China is the frontrunner for rare earth metals by a long shot, with 44 million metric tons of reserves and 270,000 metric tons of production in 2025. However, Brazil also has significant reserves above 11 million MT. With regards to rare earth production, the US is in second place at 51,000 metric tons due to the Mountain Pass mine in California.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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Melissa Pistilli has been reporting on the markets and educating investors since 2006. She has covered a wide variety of industries in the investment space including mining, cannabis, tech and pharmaceuticals. She helps to educate investors about opportunities in a variety of growth markets. Melissa holds a bachelor's degree in English education as well as a master's degree in the teaching of writing, both from Humboldt State University, California.
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Melissa Pistilli has been reporting on the markets and educating investors since 2006. She has covered a wide variety of industries in the investment space including mining, cannabis, tech and pharmaceuticals. She helps to educate investors about opportunities in a variety of growth markets. Melissa holds a bachelor's degree in English education as well as a master's degree in the teaching of writing, both from Humboldt State University, California.
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