%{{tag.tag}} {{articledata.title}} {{moment(articledata.cdate)}} @{{articledata.company.replace(" ","")}} comment Canada's federal government in Ottawa has committed $3.5 billion in investments to advance several critical mineral projects across the country. That investment includes $44 million for upgrades to the Northwest Transmission Line in British Columbia, which powers several copper mines. There's also $50 million for improvements to B.C. Hydro's transmission system to provide more electricity to copper mines situated in northern British Columbia. The federal investment is aimed at speeding up the development and processing capacity of mines throughout Canada, which is rich in metals and minerals that are in demand globally. Ottawa's commitment also includes $1.5 billion to build roads, transmission lines, and other infrastructure to bring mineral deposits into production faster. Canada is also launching a $2 billion Critical Minerals Sovereign Fund this spring. The fund will allow the federal government to take equity stakes, offer loan guarantees, and secure supply agreements related to critical mineral projects. The government of Prime Minister Mark Carney is trying to position Canada as a reliable alternative to China for critical minerals used in smartphones, laptop computers, artificial intelligence (A.I.) data centres, and electric vehicles. However, much of Canada's critical minerals lie in remote deposits with little infrastructure that are hard to access and extract. The government in Ottawa is trying to help resolve those issues.