Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the early days I was involved as a young councillor for YKDFN and impact benefit agreements with our community now, also with resource development agreements in our communities as well. So I've been involved with working with BHP, Diavik, and De Beers, and now we're getting to the point where these mines are going into reclamation. And so having said that, you know, our communities really are really in need of, you know, new mines to come up and to, you know, look for work for our young people in our community. And, you know, I was pleased today to talk about the Live Power, the Canada exploration project in our riding. And so I just got two quick questions to the Minister of ITI.
What steps are the government taking to ensure critical minerals exploration companies have the support they need to help the NWT transition to a critical mineral based economy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Tu NedheWiilideh. Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm quite pleased to get that question. I can say a couple of things quickly, mindful of time, although I would be happy to go on longer if I had more time.
First of all, Mr. Speaker, the MIP, or the Mineral Incentive Program funding, this is the amount of funding that is provided to exploration projects of all different sorts. And out of the almost $1.5 million disbursed thus far, Mr. Speaker, over $1.2 million of it went to critical minerals and metals projects, including a good proportion for lithium projects. So there's that.
It helps leverage dollars. So companies have to bring their own funding to bear and only then can they access this funding. So it leverages significant amounts of funds but provides an important incentive to the mineral resource industry here.
But secondly, Mr. Speaker, is with respect to criticals and minerals more broadly, we are looking to bring our own action plan, or priorities document, to put out into the public sphere the importance and the role of critical minerals and the future mineral resource industry of the Northwest Territories. And I am looking forward to that being out before the end of this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Minister. Does the government have plans to support the critical mineral industry with green power to help ensure NWT resources will be competitive in the global market where low carbon products will prevail? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Oh, Mr. Speaker, another one that I'd like to speak at about for some length. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say a strong yes. I just don't quite know how it's going to unfold yet. That is a big ask.
The Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, we are not going to be able to last on diesel for the next ten years. That much is clear. Whether that will be in the form of the Taltson project, which we have spoken about in the House already and which has already a lot of interest in it, not the least of which is from the lithium companies, or whether we'll be looking for some other path forward. Mr. Speaker, I can say this is a good example where the industry is asking for this. The industry is asking for green power. They want a solution. And they want to be they want us to work with them and to keep them involved as we move forward so that they can, in fact, be the consumers, be the customers, and provide the pathway to really change the energy industry in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
