Evidence of meeting #4 for Natural Resources in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was public.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Thank you, Mr. MacDiarmid, for keeping your comments very brief.
Mr. Elston, do you have any comments to make?
4:40 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Nuclear Association
Yes, if I might.
4:45 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Nuclear Association
Thank you very much.
First of all, thank you for inviting me. I do apologize for not having prepared remarks. I have circulated some highlight information from our 2008 handbook. The 2009 one is now being prepared. We have publications on our website. We also have hard-copy publications, including World Energy, in both French and English. Both versions are available on our website, but there are some hard copies available as well.
The reason we're a little bit pressed for preparation time these days is that we have our annual conference coming up Wednesday. I thank the Parliament of Canada for permitting me a brief advertisement. Of course, members have been invited to attend our sessions.
You can see, just by the profile of speakers, that we are addressing broadly the interests of the nuclear industry. It's a $6.6-billion-per-year industry in this country. We have a tremendous record of exports. In fact, when we looked at the results generated by the sale of two CANDU 6 reactors externally, for instance, we saw that there was a $5.973 billion hit on the GDP. So it is in fact a very prosperous opportunity, as has been outlined by Mr. MacDiarmid.
I can tell you that we in the Canadian Nuclear Association are thankful for the efforts being taken to ensure that we remain competitive. I would say, for instance, that as Canadians across this country look at developing the new and innovative industries that will carry us forward, they ought not forget about the nuclear industry, which is already at the head of many areas in the development of nuclear technology worldwide. Competitively it gives us a very big and prosperous opportunity internationally. I was pleased to see the investments brought forward in the budget along those lines.
I have all kinds of other information available for people who would like to check the website, but right now, with those brief remarks, I'm available to answer a few questions and go forward from there.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Thank you very much, Mr. Elston.
We will start the seven-minute round with Mr. Regan from the official opposition.
Go ahead, please.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
I'd like to thank you all for coming this afternoon.
Mr. Elston, I can assure you that brevity is not something of which the people around here, including us, are often accused. None of us are likely to complain about any of the brief remarks we heard today from both of you. We appreciate your brevity; it allows us to get to the period of questions and answers.
Mr. MacDiarmid, in relation to the recent leak on Sunday, has the pipe referred to in yesterday's status report been repaired?
4:45 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
I'm going to refer to Mr. Pilkington. He is the chief nuclear officer and is responsible for the site.
4:45 p.m.
Bill Pilkington Senior Vice-President and Chief Nuclear Officer, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Mr. Chair, the simple answer is that a temporary repair has been done. The section of piping that had a leak, which amounted to two small pinholes, was physically isolated by closing valves to take it out of service and stop the leak. Late yesterday a temporary patch was put over it to assure no leakage until a proper repair can be done.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
Would that be during the next stoppage? Or would you require a stoppage to do a proper repair?
4:45 p.m.
Senior Vice-President and Chief Nuclear Officer, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
In the case of this piece of piping, we haven't made a decision on whether we would do the repair within a scheduled maintenance outage or whether we would do the repair online. It isn't urgent to put that equipment back in service. We have duplicate equipment.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
In relation to the heavy water that leaked on December 5--I gather it was treated--how much tritium was in the water that was released into the Ottawa River post-treatment?
4:45 p.m.
Senior Vice-President and Chief Nuclear Officer, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
I don't actually have a number for that water.
I might clarify, from the previous line of questioning, that 47 kilograms of heavy water leaked in December. Of that, a total of 4.5 kilograms evaporated, was released through the NRU stack, and was monitored and recorded. About 14 kilograms of the higher-concentration water was recovered.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
I was just focusing on the one question in terms of what went into the river. I think you've given the best answer that you can. Is that--
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Mr. Regan, just let him finish. I think he was close to finished.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
Mr. Chairman, it's my time, as you know, and I have other questions I'd like to ask if you don't mind. I think he's answered the question and I appreciate his answer to the question, but I would like to go on to other questions. I have one for Mr. MacDiarmid.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
It's in relation to the fact that the Province of Ontario has said that it wants assurance that the Government of Canada will remain the ultimate backer of AECL in its bidding for reactors. Do you know what the government's plans are for AECL? And if not, how can you develop a strategic plan without knowing that?
4:45 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Every indication that I've been given is that the Government of Canada is fully supportive of AECL, both in its plans to promote our new reactor technology and to go forward to be a globally competitive supplier.
4:50 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
That's not my decision to make. I really need to defer to government officials to respond to what directions they plan.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
But if they privatize part of it, how can they then be the ultimate backer?
4:50 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
I can't really respond to that question.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
It's hypothetical, fair enough.
Don't you find it strange that there hasn't been a clearer signal from the same government that fired Linda Keen, in view of the circumstances?
4:50 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
A clearer signal of...?