Canadian Defense Industrial Strategy
NORTH ATLANTIC TITANIUM WELCOMES CANADA’S FIRST DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY AND HIGHLIGHTS
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF RESHORING WESTERN CRITICAL MINERAL SUPPLY OF HIGH-VALUE TITANIUM
METAL
TITANIUM’S ESSENTIAL ROLE IN HIGH-VALUE AEROSPACE & DEFENSE INDUSTRIES POSITIONS NORTH
ATLANTIC TITANIUM’S EVERETT TITANIUM PROJECT IN QUEBEC TO SUPPORT GROWING DEMAND AMID
SURGE IN DOMESTIC DEFENSE SPENDING
Vancouver, British Columbia – March 16, 2026 – North Atlantic Titanium Corp. (CSE:NATO) (OTCPK: MUZU.F)
(FSE:Y33) ("North Atlantic Titanium" or the “Company”), a Canadian exploration company focused on advancing
the Everett titanium project in Quebec, acknowledges the recent launch of Canada’s first Defen se Industrial
Strategy by Prime Minister Mark Carney to s trengthen security, create prosperity, and reinforce strategic
autonomy. This is a strategy to transform Canada’s defense industries by prioritizing Canadian suppliers and
materials, investing in Canadian innovation and commercialization, and streamlining procurement to give
businesses consistent and predictable demand.
The Defense Industrial Strategy is an investment of over half a trillion dollars in Canadian security, economic
prosperity, and sovereignty.(1) By 2035, the Canadian government aims to invest 5% of annual GDP in defense
spending as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Defense Investment Pledge.(2)
• $180 billion in defense procurement opportunities and $290 billion in defense-related capital investment
opportunities in Canada over the next 10 years
• $125 billion in anticipated downstream economic benefit by 2035
• 125,000 new jobs
• 50% increase in defense exports
• 70% share of defense acquisitions awarded to Canadian firms
• 240% increase in Canadian defense industry revenues
• Raise maritime fleet serviceability to 75%, land fleets to 80%, and aerospace fleets to 85% to bolster
Canadian defense within 10 years
Key sovereign capabilities for which the Defense Industrial Strategy shall prioritize include aerospace (aircraft,
helicopters, satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs ), ammunition (common ammunition; battle-decisive
munitions; small arms; missiles and bombs), digital systems, in -service support, personnel protection, sensors,
space, specialized manufacturing, training and simulation and unscrewed and autonomous systems (Government
of Canada).
Titanium’s Essential Role in High-Value Industries
Titanium is a silvery, grey critical metal which is high -strength, light-weight and low-corrosion. It is as strong as
steel but 45% lighter which makes it vital for the aerospace and defense industries. In addition, key industries for
titanium include medical, energy & renewables, consumer products and pigments. Titanium’s total market size in
2024 was US$28 billion with a forecasted CAGR of 6.5% from 2025 – 2034 (Precedent Research).
Titanium is a NATO designated defense metal, with identified high supply risk for the following military
applications: fighter aircrafts, tanks, missiles, submarines, and ammunition. Global titanium sponge production is
largely controlled by China, requiring the need to build domestic production capability to strengthen Western
supply chain. Titanium sponge price is at a 15 year high, +22% since 2020 in the US and exempt from US tariffs (US
Geological Survey).
North Atlantic Titanium’s Everett Project in Quebec
The Everett Property comprises 49 mineral tenures covering 2,406 ha (5,946 acres) (See Figure 1). Early in the
Everett Property's history, 34 diamond drill holes defined a significant historical mineral resource. Later, 71 closely
-spaced sites and two bul k sample sites were sampled on the surface of the Everett Property, with assay and
metallurgical samples obtained over a 3.5 km of outcrop. Numerous historical mineralogical studies and
metallurgical process tests conducted by commercial and university res earch laboratories have demonstrated
very high recoveries of Ti, Fe, and P to the concentrates.
The Everett Property spans the eastern margin of the Proterozoic Havre -Saint-Pierre anorthosite massif.
Anorthosite massif deposits are of significant economic interest for critical mineral commodities, including Fe–Ti
oxide minerals (for titanium, vanadium, and iron), and apatite minerals (for phosphorus, often including rare earth
elements).
The Everett Property is recognized by the USGS and the Quebec Geological Sciences Service as one of the most
significant hard-rock ilmenite (FeTiO3) deposits in the world, alongside producing deposits at Lac Tio, Quebec (Rio
Tinto Fer et Titane Inc.) and Tellnes, Norway (Kronos Worldwide Inc.). The Everett Property is situated 3 km east
of the world's largest hard-rock ilmenite deposit, Lac Tio. The deposit at Lac Tio is not necessarily indicative of the
grades and tonnes of the adjacent Everett Property. Still, the two deposits share a closely similar mineralogy and
are both hosted by mafic intrusions of the Havre-Saint-Pierre anorthosite massif.
Figure 1: Location of the Everett Property, Quebec illustrating the north portion of the Everett oxide body
Everett Historical Mineral Resource Estimates
An Engineering Report by Lees (Lees, J. Everett, 1972, Engineering Report on Gulf Titanium Ltd., GM58981) cited
a historical resource of 234 million tonnes of 10.8% TiO2, 17.9% Fe and 2.8% P2O5* based on drilling in the 1950’s
and 1968. The 1968 program comprised more definitive drilling and assaying of the northern extremity of the
Everett oxide body. It defined a separate 340 m strike length of that historical resource (1/10th of the surface
oxide exposure length) of the Everett oxide body of 50.8 million tonnes of 14.1% TiO2, 23.3% Fe, and 2.8% P2O5(1)
within the larger tonnage reported.*
*These “resources” are historical in nature and should not be relied upon, neither treated as current estimate. It is unlikely they conform to current NI 43-101
requirements or follow CIM Definition Standards, and they have not been verified to determine their relevance or reliability. Originally reported in long tons
as 230 million long tons with a grade of 10.8% TiO2, 17.9% Fe and 2.8 % P2O5, it is here converted to 234 million metric tonnes with a grade of 10.8% TiO2,
17.9% Fe and 2.8 % P2O5. Similarly, the 50 million long tons are converted to 50.8 million tonnes. These historical “resources” are reported without any
specific categories, which is not conform to current NI 43-101 requirements, and any comparison is not a valid comparison. A qualified person (QP) has not
done sufficient work to classify the estimate as current, and the Company is not treating the historical estimate as a curren t mineral resource.” Results are
presented for exploration targeting only . Additional work is required to verify th e historical mineral estimate and to upgrade the historical
estimate to a current mineral resource. Such work is expected to include the verification of historical analytical results th rough twinning of
historical sampling and drilling, as well as the comp letion of a staged diamond drilling program. Until such verification and additional
exploration work has been completed, the Company cautions readers that the historical estimate should not be relied upon as a current
mineral resource or mineral reserve.
Qualified Person
Julien Davy, P.Geo., M.Sc., MBA, independent consultant, a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43 -101
on standards of disclosure for mineral projects, has approved the technical information about the Everett Property
in this news release.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dwayne Yaretz, CEO
North Atlantic Titanium Corp.
Phone: 778-709-3398
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.natitanium.com
About North Atlantic Titanium Corp.
North Atlantic Titanium is a Canadian publicly traded exploration company focused on advancing the Everett
titanium project in Quebec. The Company also holds a 100-per-cent interest in the Sleeping Giant South project,
located in the Abitibi greenstone belt, approximately 75 kilometres south of Matagami, Que. As well, the Company
is currently assessing two option agreements to acquire up to 80 per cent of the silver, zinc, lead XWG and LMM
properties, and an exploration agreement at the WLG mine, all located in Henan province, China.
For more information, please visit our website at www.natitanium.com.
Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange)
accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Endnotes
1) Prime Minister Carney launches Canada’s first Defence Industrial Strategy to strengthen security, create prosperity, and reinforce strategic autonomy.
(2026, February 20). Prime Minister of Canada. https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2026/02/17/prime-minister-carney-launches-canadas-
first-defence-industrial
2) Canada joins new NATO Defence Investment Pledge. (2025, July 10). Prime Minister of Canada. https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-
releases/2025/06/25/canada-joins-new-nato-defence-investment-pledg