Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Minister, you are holding the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission responsible for the crisis, but it seems to me that you make no reference to the disorder at Atomic Energy Canada Limited and its poor organization. Not once in your statement did you mention that AECL had not been respecting the conditions of its licence for 17 months. And yet, it knew that. The nuclear reactor is no safer today than it was before, since it is still being operated with a single pump. So AECL is still not respecting the conditions of its licence.
As a minister, do you think it is normal to accept that situation and not publicly denounce AECL's poor handling of this matter?
You only focus on the president. We don't hear a word about AECL. You don't even mention the resignation of the director general who had announced his intention of leaving on November 29. That resignation only became effective on December 31. You focus the debate on the president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and completely ignore AECL's work, work that was completely disorganized in my opinion, even if I am not an expert.
When the president told the AECL that it was not in compliance with its licence, the organization decided to function with one pump and to propose some safety measures. The commissioner felt that the documents were not complete enough and asked it to do its homework. In the meantime, AECL changed its mind and decided to use two pumps. A few days later, it changed its mind again and decided to function with a single pump. Given the AECL's behaviour, you should have held it responsible for the situation as well, and not just one individual, Ms. Keen, as it happens.