Economy minister Christine Fréchette hopes the funding will help preserve 973 construction jobs and 499 permanent roles as the mining company tries to complete its long-sought goal of building a battery-grade lithium concentrator in the province. (Le Journal de Montréal)

Talking point: Quebec has tried for years to preserve Nemaska in hopes it will play a role in the electric vehicle transition, despite it filing for creditor protection in 2019. Investissement Québec co-owns Nemaska, and the other half has changed hands several times in the past two years amid a wave of consolidation in the lithium industry. Rio Tinto, which is the other major shareholder alongside Investissement Québec, is restructuring its business as it tries to keep up with competitors in China, which dominates the global lithium industry. Meanwhile, Quebec is under pressure to justify its EV investments after the recent insolvencies of local players like Lion Electric and Northvolt.