Mr. Speaker, the safety of Canadians is the top priority for employees at the Chalk River nuclear laboratories of AECL. In 2011, we witnessed first-hand the importance of safety in the nuclear industry after the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. Our homegrown nuclear industry is a world leader when it comes to developing cutting-edge technologies to mitigate risks.
The people of Chalk River Laboratories have developed a technology to absorb hydrogen gas. This gas represents a hazard in events such as occurred in Japan. The devices, known as passive autocatalytic recombiners, have successfully sold across Canada and to nuclear operators in Europe and Asia. Canada was only able to develop this technology as a result of the testing facilities at Chalk River Laboratories.
The nuclear industry is a vital part of Canada's economy. Over 50 companies and 70,000 full-time jobs help fuel our knowledge economy. Congratulations to everyone who works at Chalk River Laboratories for making it one of the world's leading centres of nuclear science and research.