Thanks, Madam Chair, distinguished members of this committee and colleagues. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today.
AtkinsRéalis supports the objective to develop a stronger, more resilient, more independent economy and country. Strength at home allows us to project strength abroad and to be better partners to our allies. It makes sense in the times that we are living in.
Canada—including a number of provinces, as has been outlined—is approaching a generational decision about this country's energy future. My colleague George has indicated how electricity demand is set to increase and the reasons. I won't go through them again. To meet that demand while maintaining reliability and reducing emissions, new nuclear generation of large reactors will play an essential role.
The question before us and, respectfully, before your committee is not simply how much nuclear capacity Canada should build. It's about what kind of nuclear nation Canada wants to be. Will we remain a country capable of designing, building, operating and exporting our own nuclear technology, or will we gradually become dependent on another's reactor designs, someone else's intellectual property and a supply chain based primarily in another country? That's a question before this committee.
The answer is clear. Canada should pursue a made-in-Canada nuclear strategy anchored in CANDU technology. CANDU is more than a reactor design. It represents a complete Canadian industrial capability. Few countries in the world can claim ownership and control over the entire nuclear value chain. Canada can. Our uranium is mined in Saskatchewan by my colleague to the left. Our engineers design the systems across a number of companies. Our manufacturers produce critical components. Our operators run the reactors. Our workers maintain and refurbish them over decades of service. That capability is a strategic national asset. Once lost, it would be extraordinarily difficult and costly to rebuild.
There's a compelling economic case. Public funds will help support the next generation of nuclear projects. Canadian governments therefore have a responsibility to consider where the benefits of that investment will ultimately flow. When Canada chooses and builds CANDU reactors, the vast majority of project spending remains in Canada. Canadian firms receive the engineering contracts. Canadian manufacturers produce the components. Canadian workers fill the skilled jobs. Canadian communities benefit from the long-term economic activity that follows.
By contrast, if we adopt another country's reactor technology, a significant portion of that value inevitably leaves the country through imported components, another's intellectual property and overseas engineering services. The issue is not whether international partnerships have value. They do. The issue is whether Canadians can benefit from the maximum economic return from the investments that will go into large conventional nuclear.
Beyond economics, there's a broader industrial consideration that complements the Canada strong ambition. Canada's nuclear sector supports a highly sophisticated ecosystem of suppliers, fabricators, service providers, engineers, researchers and skilled tradespeople. These capabilities have been developed over decades through the design, construction, operation, refurbishment and life extension of CANDU reactors.
However, industrial capabilities do not sustain themselves indefinitely. If domestic demand for Canadian-designed reactors declines, specialized skills will erode, supply chains will weaken and expertise will migrate elsewhere. At this pivotal moment, as has been outlined—I'll just repeat it, actually—Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunswick are either preparing for or considering technology selection processes for large conventional nuclear reactors.
Recently, the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced the development of a transformative new nuclear energy strategy for Canada to be released at the end of this year. The strategy is to build on decades of Canadian innovation, including CANDU technology, abundant uranium resources, a world-class workforce and a globally respected nuclear safety regime. This strategy should encourage provincial leaders to choose CANDU. The livelihoods, expertise and future opportunities of workers, which George outlined earlier, are tied to the decisions now being made.
Shifting to another reactor technology would have significant consequences for Canada's nuclear workforce and supply chain. Following the success of the CANDU refurbishment and life extension program, which has thus far been delivered on time and on budget, supplanting a proven domestic technology would cause substantial disruption. Rather than building on the momentum created by decades of investment and expertise, Canada risks revisiting the lessons of the Avro Arrow era, when the loss of a strategic domestic capability carried consequences that extended far beyond the immediate project itself—and extend to today.
On the energy security dimension, CANDU reactors operate using natural uranium, a resource that Canada possesses in abundance, as Dale has indicated. In an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment, supply chain resilience is no longer an abstract concern; it's a strategic necessity.
Finally, Canada has expressed ambitions to be a global leader in nuclear technology, including in the development and deployment of small modular reactors. These ambitions are strengthened with a strong domestic large-reactor program. Countries are far more likely to purchase technologies that are actively deployed and supported in their home market.
A robust domestic CANDU program strengthens Canada's credibility as a nuclear exporter and reinforces our reputation as a trusted technology partner. The decisions made over the next several years will shape Canada's energy and industrial landscape for generations. This is not simply a procurement decision or a tech selection, and it is not an electricity decision. It's a decision about whether Canada will continue to possess sovereign nuclear capabilities, sustain a world-class industrial ecosystem and capture the full economic benefits of its own energy investments.
The opportunity before us and before you, Madam Chair and members, is to build on that legacy to ensure that it remains a source of Canadian strength for decades to come. It's about building a stronger, more resilient and more independent economy and country.
Thanks. I look forward to your questions.
Thanks for your forbearance, Madam Chair.
