Thank you, Madame Pauzé. That's an important question.
We need to be talking about nuclear waste, not nuclear energy. High-level spent fuel waste is only the tip of the iceberg. Federal nuclear research and development has generated a $16-billion waste and decommissioning liability.
The Auditor General is anticipating the publication of an environment and sustainable development audit of nuclear waste management this year. Parliament should consider its findings before any permanent nuclear waste disposal facilities are approved. I mentioned earlier the project to dispose of a million tonnes of commercial and federal waste at Chalk River. That project has been widely criticized as not meeting international safety standards, but the CNSC has recommended its approval.
I ask that the committee consider the merits of creating an independent, publicly owned nuclear waste management and decommissioning agency, which is independent of the industry and government industries that promote the industry. It could draw upon governance models in other countries that have more advanced nuclear waste management programs.