Natural Resources Committee on April 21st, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

Give a quick answer.

[Alison Nankivell]

We consider technology, CCUS, to be part of clean technology initiatives but not necessarily the traditional part of that. It's connected to it.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

That's your time.

Go ahead, Mr. Tochor, for five minutes.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

Thank you very much.

Thinking about liquefied natural gas, Mr. Cooper, you won't confirm or deny through your testimony that the MPO is doing a national security review, but what does the MPO do for you?

[Chris Cooper]

As I said earlier, just getting clarity through the naming of LNG Canada phase two as a nation-building project sends a strong signal to investors in the international community in terms of the MPO. Then they start to become what I've described as brokers or translators in trying to help with the interfaces with government.

If I talk to my investors on what they actually need to go forward, they can come up with a list of things, and they're all about affordability and competitiveness.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

To paraphrase a little bit, the MPO set up an office so that this office would interact with other bureaucrats in Ottawa. It sounds like it's another layer of bureaucrats trying to make it work for private industry.

On the national security review, we know a large percentage of phase one was Chinese-built. I would assume—and I'll get your comment—that if the national security review is done on phase two, we would exclude large components from China so that it's built Canada strong.

[Chris Cooper]

I would say that the MPO brings a focus in terms of a place where we can focus on the many departments. You're right that there are, as I said, many departments and many parts of government to talk to, and many stakeholders—

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

It is a layering of regulations. I agree.

I have limited time.

Shifting to the EDC, Canada has a long history of exporting nuclear technology, and EDC has played a central role in that. For the most part, up to today, it has been the CANDU reactor.

Is EDC working to ensure Canada is part of the global AP1000 supply chain, yes or no?

[A voice]

Yes.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

Great.

How does one help ensure that this supply chain is in Canada, versus our current model with the CANDU?

[Alison Nankivell]

We are very focused. One of the big things we're doing at EDC is mapping out the value chains that are in Canada and making sure that they can continue to scale through financing their growth as the OEMs they're working with grow. The biggest problem in losing Canadian participation in supply chains is that the supply chain doesn't grow as the opportunity grows. Financing that growth is really critical in a number of supply chains, not just nuclear, so we're spending time on that.

We're also trying to make sure growth capital is available to them. Otherwise, U.S. groups will sometimes come up and acquire them because that technology is so strong. That is something we're very concerned about, which is why we're so focused on ensuring that alternative sources of growth capital are available to them.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

To clarify, you're concerned that American companies would come up and take over some of those companies that have the technology in the nuclear industry.

[Alison Nankivell]

Yes. Our concern is that they don't have the opportunity to continue to scale in Canada, as opposed to having the company grow further in the United States.

We will work, and obviously have worked, with a lot of companies that are foreign-owned. That's not our issue. Our issue is making sure the capital is there and available to allow the plant or the operations in Canada to grow.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

You're not financing growth in the American companies that work in the nuclear sphere—are you? Are you proposing that?

[Alison Nankivell]

No. What we're proposing is that we work with Canadian companies so that they don't have to go to the U.S. to find capital.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

Along the same lines, are you aware of what the government is doing at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in outsourcing to an all-American consortium of companies—with Canadian employees, for sure, but owned by American companies—to take over our Canadian nuclear labs?

[Alison Nankivell]

I am not aware of that. It's sort of outside the realm of EDC. I'm afraid I don't have much to comment on that.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

If EDC were concerned about the theft of our intellectual property in current Canadian operations that you would finance, would that be one of the things you would flag if it were a foreign-owned company?

[Alison Nankivell]

I think what we recognize is that supply chains have a lot of different ownership in them. Our goal, when companies show that they want to scale and remain Canadian, is that we provide the financing to enable that to happen.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

I have just one question to go back to on the different reactors you're working with. Would you have met with Westinghouse in the last 12 months to discuss how EDC could help?

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

We'll have a quick answer, please.

[Alison Nankivell]

I am not aware that we have. I'd have to get back to you on that.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

Can you also table if you met with Brookfield during the same time period?

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

All right. That's time.