Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I am pleased to take the floor today.
First and foremost, I would like to thank the witnesses. I invite them to listen to the English interpretation so that they fully understand what I am saying.
My first question is for Mr. Bernier.
On June 7, you were called to testify before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. At that meeting, you responded as follows to a question from my fellow MP, Monique Pauzé, regarding the percentage of renewable energy in Canada:
Putting aside hydroelectricity—which is, of course, the backbone of our system and a renewable source of energy—and focusing on wind and solar, it is, I think, in the neighbourhood of 6%, 7% or 8%. However, as Drew indicated, we expect these to grow very rapidly over the coming years, wind in particular. I hesitate to make a projection as to what role it might play, but there’s a lot of unexploited potential.
You’re expecting a lot of growth in wind. We already have a good system, and there’s a lot of untapped potential in that area. So why should the government invest in the science and research around small modular reactors instead of focusing on the technologies we already have?