In the main estimates there is funding to AECL to be used as support to nuclear R and D and waste management in Canada.
Having worked in nuclear myself for almost 10 years, I have deep respect for Canada's nuclear talents and our nuclear legacy. Our CANDU R and D has been at the leading edge, for sure, of the peaceful application of nuclear technology in the world. We have nuclear reactors generating electricity to meet the needs of Canadians in Ontario, in New Brunswick and formerly in Quebec.
Right now, the reactor in Quebec has been closed, and the Pickering station will be decommissioned quickly. The chance that they'll have a new build with the CANDU design in the foreseeable future is very low, if I am correct. There is a strong probability that our Canadian nuclear capacity in the future will be significantly impacted.
I use one example. The United Kingdom's experience shows how, in a very similar situation, it lost its ability to design and supply reactors and is now dependent only on importing the design and the equipment.
I wonder what your vision is for the future of nuclear research and the nuclear industry in Canada. Do you see it moving in a positive direction or not?
Thank you.