Thank you very much, Lisa.
Thank you for that question, Mr. Chair and Mr. Cannings. I think it's a very valid one.
To put a point on it, you're right, in that many of these types of deposits we're talking about, when we get into critical minerals, can be more challenging to discover, and they can be of smaller scale. I would also echo what Mr. Labonté just mentioned. The TGI and GEM programs, which have been running for a number of years, are instrumental in providing that knowledge base for industry to be able to step off and conduct good work.
Also, when we think about the challenge that's in front of us—when we think of the size of this country and the amount of deposits that may still rest in some of those remote terrigenous regions—there is a real need for more support from the federal government. I think that's particularly why we've landed on thinking about the mineral exploration tax credit and expanding that incentive. It's something that currently exists, and it's something that's been instrumental in making sure there is real, significant capital investment into exploration in Canada each and every year through the METC and the flow-through share regime.
In thinking about trying to spur more investment into these types of potentially smaller deposits and more challenging things to find, it makes sense to consider expanding that incentive, particularly in light of how it is a relatively low-cost item for the government and it's a way to direct retail investment in Canada towards new discoveries. We think that's a simple way to move forward.
We also see where there is a real need beyond just the TGI and GEM programs for further geoscience work, and in particular, as we've talked about, in working with the provinces to a greater degree, to understand where there could be logical centroids or logical places for infrastructure to be developed that maybe can help to bring some of these smaller deposits together and create that upstream production potential that may be lacking right now.
Thank you.