Sure. Thank you.
The medical isotope file is presently housed in the federal government in NRCan. That is primarily because of the fact that the NRU reactor was a prolific source of medical isotopes, many of which were in fact marketed through Nordion. Now that the reactor is closing down, NRCan has declared its exit, really, from that space. They said this is not really their responsibility.
Who should be responsible for medical isotopes in the government? They're strategically important for health and for other reasons, so somebody needs to be looking and ensuring that there's an adequate supply across Canada. Where the private sector can provide the isotopes, that's fantastic. Where the private sector cannot, because of subsidies elsewhere or inefficiencies in the market, is the place for the government. Where should the home be? I could imagine three homes. One is that NRCan continue its responsibility for isotopes. I can imagine ISED, because of the fantastic opportunities for innovation that come through novel applications for isotopes. I could also imagine Health Canada, since one of the primary applications of isotope technology is in the field of health.
Right now, with our proposal for the IAMI facility, which really is to ensure isotope security in Canada, we're being passed from agency to agency, and nobody is willing to stand up and say, “We'll speak with you”.