RE:RE:Nickel will be declared as a strategic metal In Indonesia they made it so that the Nickel legally has to be processed within the country. They recognized that they had a major supply and they wanted it to benefit the economy from more than just a mining standpoint.
If Canada did the same, then companies would need to make their battery factories in Canada as well. I Beleive Tesla already plans to make theirs in Nevada. But I think Ford already plans to make theirs in Ontario, Canada.
I worry that if there are too many obstacles or if the price of Nickel explodes - then companies like Tesla will actively endeavour to design Nickel out of the battery (like they are doing with the reduction of Cobalt). Whether they have the ability to do that or not is under debate.