Chair and members of the committee, my name is Caroline Ducros and I am pleased to join you virtually here in Ottawa, the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe peoples. I am the director general of advanced reactor technologies at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, CNSC, Canada's independent nuclear regulator. I am joined today by Brian Torrie, CNSC's director general of safety management.
For the CNSC, safety always comes first. Regardless of the project proposed, we will never issue a licence unless fully satisfied of its safety.
In these brief remarks, I will provide the CNSC's perspective on first, deploying SMRs in Canada to help meet climate change commitments; second, advancing SMR-related science and research in Canada; and third, ensuring the safe deployment of SMRs globally.
SMRs are novel nuclear technologies, seen by multiple Canadian provinces as a means to help combat climate change. Ontario Power Generation's Darlington new nuclear project puts Canada at the forefront of assessing a grid-scale SMR among G7 countries.
The CNSC is committed to safety and efficiency in licensing and regulating SMRs and enabling their safe deployment. For SMRs to be able to help provinces meet climate change objectives, the CNSC must be both efficient and effective. The funding that we received in budget 2022 is accelerating our readiness efforts. Those efforts include ensuring that our regulatory framework is appropriate for SMRs, that we have the right people and that the necessary research is being conducted.
SMRs are being proposed or considered for deployment in areas of Canada with no history of nuclear power generation. That requires early and ongoing engagement by all involved, including the CNSC, to build relationships and trust, especially with indigenous nations and communities and potential host communities.
SMR technologies are different from Canada's homegrown CANDU technology, which the CNSC is accustomed to. There's much to do in short order.
Through our existing research program, the CNSC has extensive ties with Canadian academia on the science and research needed to support safety cases for CANDU reactors and other nuclear facilities. That approach is being leveraged for SMRs. Our budget 2022 funding will enable us to support independent third-party research on key SMR-related priority areas. This research will support our view of proposed SMR designs and projects, and expand workforce availability in the nuclear sector.
Based on a recent visit by CNSC president Rumina Velshi to the U.S. Idaho National Laboratory—their leading centre for nuclear energy research and development—the CNSC would support a recommendation that the government make substantial investment in Canada, so that we can develop similar capacities.
Canada is only one of several countries considering SMRs. The CNSC is taking a leadership role and working closely with international regulators, notably the U.S., the U.K. and international organizations.
Our goal is to harmonize requirements and standards, share reviews and streamline licensing processes as much as possible, while maintaining our regulatory sovereignty. We're helping to advance this work directly through participation in the International Atomic Energy Agency's—IAEA's—nuclear harmonization and standardization initiative, and through president Velshi's role as chair of the IAEA's commission on safety standards, which establishes standards for the global nuclear community. This work will be key for the safe and timely deployment of an SMR global fleet, both in Canada and, especially, in nuclear newcomer countries.
Other regulators, proponents and countries are looking to Canada to demonstrate that SMR projects can be done safely, quickly and efficiently. For SMRs to play the role envisioned by many, dedicated efforts on the part of all involved are needed. CNSC is getting ready to efficiently regulate SMRs, and we will only allow safe projects to proceed.
Thank you.