As regards the NRU, obviously the minister and the Minister of Health, at the time, as well, were expressing disappointment with the timeline. I think that disappointment was shared by all Canadians who look to AECL to supply that very critical input to our health care system.
I think what is becoming increasingly clear is the amount of effort that AECL is putting into the resumption of the NRU under the guidance of the minister. There is much information on that from a number of sources, including the AECL website, which details quite extensively the amount of the effort.
On the comment with regard to the size of AECL, I would in fact observe, Mr. Chair, that the comment was made, not only by the minister but in fact by the department as well, in the summary report that we presented to the minister, as basically an empirical observation. If one compares AECL in size to AREVA, to Westinghouse, and to other suppliers of nuclear reactors in the world, it does not have the same scale and therefore does not have the same might to enter with the same capacities into markets like India and China, that are the growth markets for this industry worldwide.
If one looks at the minister's speeches, however, and our report more broadly, you will find very strong statements of confidence in the ability of the Canadian technology, in the ability of Canadian workers in AECL--its engineers and scientists--and that is where the value of AECL resides. The fact that AECL does not have the same size to compete with others is a well-known fact.