Thank you, Mr. Chair.
There have been massive investments or promised investments in the EV sector from GM, Northvolt, Ford and Volkswagen, as well as from Stellantis, at about $11 billion, and Honda, at $15 billion. We're going head to head with our competitors across the border, who are determined that the EV industry is going to stay in the States. That's all dependent on access to critical minerals.
We've heard a lot of talk around this table about how long it takes to get a mine past the regulatory process. It's about 10 years. Right now in Treaty No. 9, an area I represent, which is pretty much the metals basket of North America, there's a $95-billion lawsuit against the federal government and the province over a failure to consult.
Does the government have a plan for where they're going to get critical minerals so that we can actually get these plants up and operational?