Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank our witnesses for being here today.
This is an incredibly interesting study that we have embarked on, and even though it's going to be a short one, I know that we will be left with much to contemplate and consider going forward.
I just want to highlight a few things I heard, and then ask for clarification on two things that I understand about this industry. The first is that we have many potential producers but not actual producers. The second is that every company is dealing with unique or different mineral deposits, and also that these are islands of complexity and that there is a willingness to build the supply chain.
Tying all those things together, it's my understanding—and this is where I need clarification—that there really needs to be a high level of certainty at the front end of the supply chain for a mining company that the deposits they are preparing to drill for actually will yield what they are hoping will be yielded.
The second is that the rare earth elements industry is actually one industry where the complete supply chain, including the value-added pieces, needs to be in place for economic benefits to be realized. It's not that a company can just focus on mining the mineral itself but that we need to see that whole supply chain and value-added piece in place.
I'll throw that out to anyone who would like to answer that or clarify that for me.