The really good news for Canadians to know is that Canada has the potential to produce all 12 NATO-identified defence-critical minerals. That's a great luxury. We're very blessed with this kind of resource. It will be very important for us. We can become positioned as a trusted supplier because we have the potential to produce all 12. That's number one.
We're also working, now, to see how we can strengthen the full value chain—process these minerals and refine them so they can be usable inputs. That's why, in budget 2025, we included $443 million over five years to—precisely, Ms. Lapointe—advance critical minerals processing technologies, support joint investments with our allies and develop a stockpiling mechanism not just for ourselves but also under the rubric of our NATO obligations. As a NATO partner, we are also pursuing stockpiling.
This is something that is an asset, or will turn out to be. It will become an even more important asset over time. It's a national and economic security priority.