Launched by Quebec's minister of energy and natural resources, Jonatan Julien, the plan has C$90 million of 2020-2021 government budget funding announced in March this year.

"As a reliable and ethical partner, Quebec will contribute actively to the global energy and technological transitions, by wealth creation in a greener economy," Julien said.

"Today, we are launching this future-oriented project, which will allow us together to create more value here at home, while responsibly developing our natural resources and our expertise. We have everything we need to succeed in this innovative sector with growing demand."

Critical minerals are defined as essential substances for key sectors of the economy, with high supply risk and have no commercially available substitutes. Quebec has established a list of 22 minerals considered critical and strategic, including lithium, graphite and nickel.

The provincial government's vision is to make Quebec a leader in critical mineral production, transformation, reclamation and recycling. Quebec views telecommunications, aerospace, renewable energy production, energy storage, the medical sector and transportation electrification as high-growth sectors in which the critical minerals supply is vital.

The plan aims to increase knowledge and expertise on critical and strategic minerals, deploy or optimise integrated sectors in partnership with critical minerals-producing regions, contribute to the transition to a sustainable economy and raise awareness, guide and promote.