House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 49% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 31st, 2010
Mr. Chair, the MAPLE project was eight years behind schedule, never delivered an isotope to market and was facing significant technical and regulatory challenges. With plan Bs like that, I prefer to go with the alternatives and I prefer to have the NRU up and running now.
Business of Supply May 31st, 2010
Yes, Mr. Chair, we are more than concerned about that, which is why we promised to right the mistakes made in the past by Liberal governments and ensure Canadians have access to an affordable and stable supply of medical isotopes. That being said, NRU up and running is the top priority of AECL and this government.
Again, we are investing $48 million for alternatives. In the meantime, we assume a leadership with a high level group around the world. My colleague, the Minister of Health, is working very closely with the medical community to ensure the efforts and the collaboration are optimized in the scheduled supply chain of isotopes.
Business of Supply May 31st, 2010
Mr. Chair, we responded publicly to the expert review panel. However, I must remind members that our top priority is to have the NRU up and running. We announced $48 million in our 2010 budget to support research, development and demonstration of new technologies and alternatives, establish a clinical trials network and optimize the use of isotopes in the health system. These initiatives are consistent with the recommendations of the panel.
What the hon. member does not say is that it is with a new multipurpose research reactor. The expert panel said that we would be provided with a business case, which is not the fact now. We cannot build a new reactor on the isotope production itself. It is not viable, which is what the experts said.
Business of Supply May 31st, 2010
Mr. Chair, the government has made it clear that AECL's absolute priority is returning the NRU to service as quickly as possible while maintaining the highest standards of safety and security. The government has asked AECL to pursue an extension of the NRU operating licence beyond 2011. This is a global problem that needs a global solution. This is why, under our leadership, we created a high level group to ensure we optimized the collaboration from everyone around the world.
Business of Supply May 31st, 2010
Mr. Chair, let me be clear. A quote about the proposal for the Candu reactor division states:
AECL needs markets. ...it certainly needs sophisticated full-time global marketing, which the government of Canada cannot easily give it.
This is why we are now restructuring and seeking a strategic investment. The government undertook to restructure Atomic Energy of Canada against three policy objectives--
Business of Supply May 31st, 2010
Mr. Chair, I would like to remind the hon. member that it was her party that underfunded AECL over the years. This is the situation that we are in today. We are willing to seek strategic investments to ensure the viability of that industry.
Let me be clear. The Government of Canada strongly believes in nuclear energy and the future of the Canadian nuclear industry. Sixty years of investment in nuclear science has resulted in a multi-billion dollar Canadian industry with leading edge and innovative technology. AECL's workforce comprising of almost 4,900 full-time employees is made up of highly skilled and innovative individuals.
These people are well positioned to participate in the growth of the nuclear industry, both domestically and abroad. Everybody should be happy that we are restructuring it now to ensure its viability, to reduce the burden on taxpayers, and to ensure that Canada will be positioned as a leader in the nuclear industry.
Business of Supply May 31st, 2010
Mr. Chair, we are stating it very clearly from the beginning. The intention is not to cut jobs, as the member opposite is saying. The intent is to provide a viable industry to ensure that we are still a leader in the nuclear industry. We keep our high skill jobs. We create high skill jobs and we reduce the burden on taxpayers.
Business of Supply May 31st, 2010
Mr. Chair, the $300 million will be provided for four different purposes: first, repairs to the NRU; second, refurbishments of the Chalk River laboratories infrastructure; third, nuclear reactor refurbishment project cost overruns; and fourth, new reactor technology development. So indeed, there is money for--
Business of Supply May 31st, 2010
Mr. Chair, it is quite interesting to see my colleague asking questions about cuts when we know that in 1995-96, the appropriations were on the order of $172 million. Now we are talking about $106 million compared to $102 million. I think the rhetoric surrounding these numbers is meant to be a trap. What do we expect from the restructuring? We want to provide a viable solution that is not too costly for taxpayers and that, at the same time, ensures viability—
Business of Supply May 31st, 2010
Mr. Chair, as I said earlier, AECL needs to be restructured. That is very important. We promised Canadians we would restructure that corporation. We need to make targeted investments to reduce the burden on Canadian taxpayers. Canadians are worried about doing business with an industry that is overburdened in its ability to pay. We need to ensure that the industry remains viable. We need to save good jobs and create more. That is the goal of the restructuring. That is what we hope to achieve.