Mr. Chairman, I tabled a motion with regard to the RADARSAT-2 satellite. As you know, the transaction is still being looked at and will have grave repercussions for Canada.
Through this motion, we are asking that the minister of Industry firmly maintain his decision in this matter. Canada has invested more than 445 million dollars of public funds in order to develop this technology, in part through MDA and the Canadian Space Agency.
In a letter of April 8, that was made public through Alliant Techsystems Inc., the minister indicated rather clearly that he had serious reservations with regard to this transaction and that he was not convinced that it would serve the interests of Canada.
Some 445 million dollars of public funds have been invested. This technology was among other things put in place in order to protect Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic. This satellite is being called upon to play a fundamental role in the fight against climate change; it is important technology that will enable us to understand the state of climatic changes within the framework of a climate change adaptation policy, particularly in the Arctic. For all of these reasons, we are recommending, through this motion, that the minister maintain his position.