International Trade committee  It's funny you should mention that. A company called Parkland is a very big player in gas stations across the country. They just announced yesterday that they will be building the first electric-charging hub in the country in the next few months because they see this as the future of electric mobility infrastructure.

International Trade committee  I could say that we could inspire ourselves from what's being done in Europe. They decided to work together on the ZEV supply chain for Europe. In a couple of years things have really accelerated. Now they're on their way moving forward and building battery plants. They are moving at a very fast pace.

International Trade committee  Are you asking me?

International Trade committee  I am seeing some movement. I've had discussions with Minister Champagne over the last few months, and I know that the federal government is working very hard to be able to make some interesting announcements. We've seen some smaller but nevertheless significant announcements in Quebec with Lion, the battery plant, and we are seeing companies that want to invest in either cell manufacturing or battery pack manufacturing, so I'm confident that Canada will be able to land the production of EV batteries.

International Trade committee  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.

International Trade committee  We think that the United States is currently making plans that more closely reflect domestic politics. In other words, this is more about partisan politics than about a vision for the future of the United States. This undermines a vision for the future of North America, not only in terms of the environment, but also in terms of strategy and national security.

International Trade committee  Do you mean at the federal level?

International Trade committee  I think that the federal government really wants to move these projects forward. We spoke with the former Canadian ambassador to Washington. We saw him put a stop to this, along with Minister Ng. He said that this couldn't be tolerated and that the situation didn't make sense. We're supposed to be business partners, not adversaries.

International Trade committee  I hope that Canada doesn't repeat the mistakes of the past by sending natural resources, the raw material, overseas to China, the United States or elsewhere, rather than using them to create value‑added jobs in Canada. In my opinion, we would really be foolish if Canada just sent the critical minerals to the United States and the finished products were made in the United States.

International Trade committee  Yes, exactly.

International Trade committee  Exactly. It's a supply chain of zero‑emission vehicles that runs from mines to mobility. We're working on that. Last year, we established the Accelerate alliance. We want to fight climate change and air pollution while creating jobs, not losing jobs in Canada and Quebec. That's what we want.

International Trade committee  I'm not sure I understand the question. Could you repeat it so that I know what you're talking about? I'm sorry.

International Trade committee  Obviously, there are critical minerals in many provinces across the country, from Alberta to B.C. to Saskatchewan to Ontario to Quebec. There's expertise in different universities. We go from Dalhousie University's Jeff Dahn research centre to Quebec to Ontario. In hydrogen there's B.C.

International Trade committee  You could say that, although heavy‑duty vehicles are also built in Manitoba, for example at New Flyer. Ontario's expertise in light‑duty vehicles is recognized. Quebec has expertise in heavy‑duty vehicles, but so does Ontario. However, heavy‑duty vehicle electrification is more common in Quebec.

International Trade committee  Exactly.