Mr. Speaker, in the course of the government's program review process some very difficult decisions had to be made about priorities.
It was determined in that process that fusion research which has a payback that is at least 30 to 40 years in the future could not at this time be a priority.
Over the course of the last number of years we have invested something in the order of $90 million in the facility at Varennes. We provided an additional $19 million to assist with an orderly shutdown.
Unfortunately, in terms of establishing priorities and living within the confines of fiscal responsibility, tough decisions have to be made.