Minister, I apologize for interrupting you.
I simply want to tell you that we parliamentarians supported the bill not because we felt that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission had not done its work properly, but because we were torn between two options. We chose the lesser of the two evils. I would like you to stop bolstering your statements by referring to the vote that was held in Parliament. When we learned that people would be dying, it became very difficult to oppose the bill. But at no time did we have any doubt about Ms. Keen's work or her competence. I simply wanted to express that to you.
You say that, as we speak, the reactor is being operated in compliance with the licence, an opinion which does not seem to be shared by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. However, the commission is the body with the expertise to judge whether or not a reactor is being operated safely. It has the expertise and the mandate in this regard. You consulted all kinds of other experts. Be that as it may, the expert mandated by law to assess the situation considers that this reactor is not being operated according to the conditions of the licence. You have to admit that that is somewhat surprising.
You fired Ms. Keen. Why did you do so last night rather than waiting for the results of the investigations which were ordered, either by the health minister, Atomic Energy Canada or Ms. Keen herself, concerning the performance of her commission's staff? Why did you act so hastily, in a manner I deem cavalier and rude, before Ms. Keen even had the opportunity to appear this morning, as president?