Quebec crafts plan to advance critical and strategic minerals sector – by Erik Richer La Flèche (Canadian Mining Journal – January 6, 2021)

http://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

Quebec has a modern, diversified, and somewhat dirigiste economy, where the Quebec government is not afraid to assume a central role. For decades now, the provincial government has attempted to identify economic sectors that – in its opinion – have a promising future.

On Oct. 29, 2020, the government added the exploration and mining of minerals to the list when it released the Quebec Plan for the Development of Critical and Strategic Minerals (2020-2025).

The critical and strategic minerals sector now joins several others that the government has recently recognized as growth opportunities, including food production and transformation, electricity exports, green hydrogen, the electrification of transportation and batteries.

The Plan

The basic objective of the Plan is to support the exploration of Critical and Strategic Minerals (CSM) in Quebec as well as their production and recycling, all the while respecting local populations and the environment.

The CSM acronym encompasses 22 minerals deemed essential for the “new economy” and, in some cases, national security, including vanadium, rare earths, cobalt, titanium, nickel and lithium.

For the rest of this article: http://www.canadianminingjournal.com/features/quebec-crafts-plan-to-advance-critical-and-strategic-minerals-sector/