This study evaluates the potential of a chemical soaking process as an alternative to the conventional acid baking process for cracking minerals hosting rare earth elements (REEs) and scandium (Sc). The research focuses on the extraction efficiency for Canadian REE/Sc ore/concentrate samples containing minerals such as allanite, fergusonite, bastnaesite, monazite, and pyroxene. Two soaking approaches were examined: a long-term acid/alkaline soaking process at ambient temperature lasting 1 to 6 months and an accelerated soaking process at 95 °C for 17 h or less. Following soaking, water leaching was conducted for 2.5 to 5 h. The long-term soaking achieved REE/Sc liberation ranging from 45% to over 90%, while the accelerated method demonstrated higher REE recoveries than the long-term soaking result for most samples. Although further optimization was not pursued due to the screening nature of this study, the findings suggested that chemical soaking could be a viable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional methods for a wide range of REE/Sc bearing samples, potentially offering cost savings and reduced carbon emissions.