It became clear as we moved forward and as I looked at the situation that there were a number of issues that we needed to resolve. There were unresolved issues surrounding the MAPLE reactor. These projects began in the mid-1990s. Construction began in 1996 and was supposed to be completed in 1998. There have been multiple delays. They are well over budget. There are still technical issues.
So that needs to be resolved, and there are commercial issues that need to be resolved with AECL. Our government felt it prudent that we engage independent experts to report back to us on the entire state of AECL--its commercial operations, its operations at Chalk River--and report back to our government so that we could have a hard look at all of that information and that advice and plan a path forward.
Clearly this was long overdue. I would submit that what we have been able to do in the last two years in office is move this agency forward. That is in fact what we are looking to do with this review. I will be happy to report that in the coming months, once we receive that advice and once the government has made a decision.
I will also state that we are looking for the broadest advice we can get. We have not limited the options. All the options are on the table. Then we will examine that and design a path forward on what are the best options for Canadians.