We often tend to think in terms of critical minerals, electric vehicles and renewable energy. However, in reality, there are a whole host of electronic products that require critical minerals, such as the computers that we use today and televisions.
Also, one aspect that really shouldn't be overlooked, and the Pentagon has already talked about this matter, is the weapons issue. On a strategic level, it's important to control the extraction and processing of critical minerals, not only for use in the economic and energy transformation associated with transportation electrification, but also for weapons purposes. At Electric Mobility Canada, we see this as a national security issue.
We know that most processing of critical minerals is done in China. We need to talk about weapons and the military sector. This whole other aspect isn't talked about enough and can become a trump card for Canada. If we want to help develop an American electric automotive industry with Canadian critical minerals, we're saying that we can be partners, not only because we want jobs in the automotive industry, but also for national security and weapons reasons. The Americans are extremely sensitive to this issue, particularly because of their current relationship with China.