Good day, Minister. Congratulations on your appointment. I wish you all the best in your endeavours.
I would like to discuss the strategic review of AECL. When Auditor General Sheila Fraser appeared before the committee in January 2008, she reminded committee members that AECL had not had a strategic plan in place for many years and that the consequences of this could be negative. The then minister had mandated the National Bank to evaluate the situation. Three possible options were weighed: the status quo, partial privatization and full privatization.
In Budget 2009 which you discussed with us, approximately $350 million has been budgeted for AECL, including $135 million for the development of the ACR 1000, the Advanced CANDU Reactor. In light of circumstances, the committee is greatly concerned about the possible scenarios of partial or full privatization.
As parliamentarians, we would be entitled to obtain the report on this strategic review as quickly as possible. I'd like to know when we can expect to receive a copy of the report. The mandate to carry out this strategic review was awarded some time ago, specifically, in February 2008. Have you come to a decision about the future of this Crown corporation?