I am going to use it well, Mr. Chair.
I'm going to start by thanking the committee members for having me here, because ordinarily I chair the Standing Committee on Official Languages. I am going to address that subject first, Minister. I simply want to mention that we have had the opportunity to hear from representatives of your Department at the committee, including your Deputy Minister Mr. Dupont. I want to congratulate you on the efforts your Department has made to implement the act in response to the last report by the Commissioner of Official Languages. What we were most pleased to learn was that the briefing notes for the Minister had to be translated into French. I have to tell you that this information made committee members smile.
That being said, I want to come back to your presentation. There are two points that struck me, Minister. The first relates to the restructuring of Atomic Energy of Canada. I am pleased to see that the direction you have taken, privatizing Atomic Energy of Canada, if we may put it that way, is approved by Luis Echávarri, the Director-General of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. That means that we are on the right track and that is the thing to do. He has clearly said that this will bring AECL business opportunities and that we will not end up, as you said just now, with contracts that are not profitable, for which taxpayers must ultimately pay the cost. I think Mr. Cullen and Ms. Brunelle compared this to a bottomless pit. In my opinion, you are really on the right track for sealing the cracks.
A second interesting subject in your presentation is nuclear reactors. Mr. Coderre mentioned that Ontario had expressed interest in buying advanced CANDU nuclear reactors. I even saw on the news that Argentina is considering that possibility. That is encouraging, in that regard. You also confirmed this afternoon that negotiations are underway. So that's a good omen. I think the subject has been covered well.
Minister, I would like to talk to you about sustainable development. Last Sunday you announced funding for various renewable energy projects. I would like to know the exact nature of the recent investments, and at the same time hear you on the subject of the principle of fiscal neutrality. We know that it is possible, in a program, to bill for expensive measures, for example in terms of energy, and distribute the revenue to those that save energy.
Would you talk about the measures you have announced in relation to renewable energy, please, and your plan to make Canada a clean energy superpower.