The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday, Nov. 24, edition that the Carney government has implemented a series of interventionist measures to increase critical mineral production. A Globe editorial says the Critical Minerals Sovereign Fund will invest in companies and buy minerals directly. Ottawa is also enhancing loan guarantees and expanding the Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit to include more minerals. One of the early beneficiaries is Nouveau Monde Graphite. Ottawa has an offtake agreement to buy part of Nouveau Monde's production. It has an option to stockpile its graphite and has agreed to a price floor. Ottawa also directly invested $35.6-million through its arm's-length Canada Growth Fund, which holds a 13-per-cent stake of the company. Nouveau Monde is on the list of major projects the government plans to expedite. After years on the back burner, Ottawa is enthusiastically pushing to ramp up mining on Canadian soil. The Globe says Ottawa should not take equity stakes in private companies. A government seat in the boardroom increases the risk of political interference and potential conflicts over approvals, often making these deals poor uses of taxpayer money.