Thank you.
I'd also like to thank the witnesses for their patience today with the unfortunate vote we had in the House and our committee business. I'm deeply sorry for this. You know, although it has been almost a year, it feels as though it has been decades since pretty much our whole committee was at PDAC in Toronto last year, so it's great to see some familiar faces.
I'm really excited to get started with the study today. It comes at a really important time, because the world economy is transforming in many ways, and there's going to be a huge need for critical minerals to support this transition, and also, countries like China are using their dominance in the market of critical minerals to, for instance, hobble the U.S. defence industry or threaten to do that. As countries are seeking to diversify their sourcing of minerals, I think that presents a great opportunity for Canada, but it is going to be a very competitive environment in which to do that.
My first question is for the Mining Association of Canada. What do you see Canada's competitive advantage being in the critical mineral space?