Thank you very much.
First of all, let me address a number of the issues you've raised.
With respect to the independence of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, I completely agree with that assertion.
In my interventions with the commission and my communications, at all times I held myself to the highest conduct and urged the president of the commission to put the matter before the commission to render a decision, which was within her statutory powers to do.
There was an urgency to this situation, we should make no mistake, as the events unfolded on December 3, once that urgency started to materialize.
The member has asked why we didn't do something about this to ensure that there was an adequate stock of isotopes or adequate inventories. It's important to note that the half-life of a radioisotope is only 66 hours. It's very short.
Obviously, as these events unfolded, we literally had to take action. When it became clear to me and the government--from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission experts, from the AECL experts and independent experts--that the reactor could be operated more safely than it ever had been before, then, yes, the events followed through and culminated in an act of Parliament, to which every party agreed.
I just want to conclude, Mr. Chair, that our position is that the president and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission did not exercise her responsibilities, her executive powers, in her position as CEO and president throughout this process.