Natural Resources committee  That's a very good question, and I will seek to unpack it. I'm certainly happy to provide further context on the studies that are currently ongoing. I didn't cover it in my presentation, because I wanted to cleave to our 10-minute time limit, but on slide 14 of the deck we have provided a bit of a snapshot on the regional dialogues and on the specific questions that they are each addressing and that we are addressing in partnership with the provinces and territories and their utilities.

Natural Resources committee  That's another good question. I think Canada's strength lies in the diversity of the technological options, which enables the country to address this challenge. Obviously, Canada has a number of hydroelectric resources and a good capacity to develop this type of technology. In Canada, the nuclear component is currently very important, especially in Ontario, but also in New Brunswick.

Natural Resources committee  Yes, certainly. It's obvious. That's why we're currently conducting a study. For Canada, the future will be the combination of distributed clean energy systems and centralized systems. When distributed systems are connected to centralized systems, the system becomes more flexible and reliable.

Natural Resources committee  Yes, certainly. I can give you a few examples, and I'll then ask my colleagues to give you other more specific examples. I can talk about Pikangikum and the interconnection I mentioned earlier. It's an interconnection in northern Ontario that will connect the indigenous community of Pikangikum to Ontario's major grid.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Arsenault. That's a good question. The carbon pricing regulations will significantly help the entire country make progress in reducing greenhouse gases, especially since the regulations apply to the whole economy. However, in the initial years, the basic pricing may be too flexible to immediately transform the energy or electricity sector, given the fairly high costs of such a transformation.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. My name is Niall O'Dea and I'm the director general of the electricity resources branch at Natural Resources Canada. I'm joined today by two members of my team, André Bernier and Darcy Blais. Thank you for the opportunity to speak about this matter. I'll start by providing some context.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Strahl. The federal government does support work on innovation in nuclear technology and research through Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and AECL's federal nuclear S and T program, so there is work going on to support nuclear innovations through that program.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you for the question. First, I think it's important to note that CNSC is an independent regulator that reports to Parliament through the Minister of Natural Resources and, in that respect, has independence from our department. I think the key for us in our support of the minister is ensuring that he's well supported with information as to the CNSC's activities.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Tan. To start, I think I would say that the government clearly places the absolute highest priority on public safety and security and environmental protection in all its nuclear activities. That is a key motivating force for us in how we approach the management of the sector, supported both by the nuclear laboratories in their research activities, as well as by our independent regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

Natural Resources committee  Sure. Thank you for the questions. I see two questions, one about the relative costs of energy from nuclear and other sources, and the second about cost management in the context of the nuclear sector itself and refurbishments and things of that kind. To answer in terms of the first element, yes, the cost of nuclear energy would be amortized over the full lifetime of the facility in question.

Natural Resources committee  I will be pleased to be the first to answer the question. You would probably need to ask the provinces, which make those kinds of decisions. As for Canada's nuclear situation, we saw real growth and development in the construction of reactors from the 1970s to the 1990s. That was when CANDU technology was developed because of a great energy need in some provinces.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, and good morning. My name is Niall O'Dea. I'm director general of electricity resources for Natural Resources Canada. It's a pleasure to be here with you today to launch you on this component of your study and to provide testimony on Canada's nuclear industry, its contributions to the economy, the challenges it faces, and the opportunities to advance nuclear innovation in support of the economy and the environment.