The US is spending public money on Canadian mines in a repeat of its historic 1940s move to turn to its ally before entering the Second World War. The US military is, for the first time in seven decades, spending public money on minerals projects inside Canada to support the US-Canadian Joint Action Plan on critical minerals. Washington is spending nearly $15 million to mine and process copper, gold, graphite and cobalt in Quebec and the Northwest Territories. The Pentagon fears global unrest and a shortage of raw materials as it seeks to kickstart projects in Canada.