Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, as the member pointed out, we have had the opportunity to talk about the situation in Rainy River and Thunder Bay. It is of great concern to him and it is of great concern to us as well. I am always happy to speak with any member in the House regarding forestry issues within their riding, so without question, I would be happy to do so.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, first I want to say, as I indicated in my remarks, I understand only too well the devastating effects of companies closing down in communities, the effects on the families and workers, and the ongoing effects on the community in general. That is why we as a government brought in not only the community development trust to aid at the very beginning of this forestry crisis but we put a further $1 billion into the community adjustment fund to deal with the after-effects of the reality of the fact that we are suffering in an economic downturn and the industry is facing structural challenges, in and of itself, those two forces coming together at the same time.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to respond to the motion tabled by the hon. member for Chicoutimi—Le Fjord. I believe the hon. member would agree that he does not hold a monopoly on concern for the forest industry in the province of Quebec. All members of the House are aware that, since taking office, this government has listened to Canada's forest industry, has recognized the special challenges this industry faces in all parts of the country and has launched a number of specific initiatives to assist Canada's forest industry.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, I would like to assure the hon. member that indeed we have acted decisively on this issue. The example of that is in our economic action plan. We have put $1 billion into a clean energy fund able to address the real issues associated with the oil sands. I will tell the House that the government clearly recognizes that a healthy economy requires a healthy environment and that is the direction we are going in.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Kitchener Centre for his question and all of his hard work on the file. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate my premier, Premier McGuinty, and Mr. Smitherman who are joining with our Conservative government in supporting clean renewable energy.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited  Mr. Speaker, we are always looking at options to strengthen this great nuclear industry we have here in Canada. One of the options we took on last year was to start the process of looking at better ways to deliver this great Canadian nuclear industry to the rest of the world. We have commissioned a report from National Bank to look at options.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited  Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, we commissioned a study from the National Bank as one piece of an entire process of looking at AECL and what the best options are to strengthen our nuclear industry. We have received the report. Our officials are studying it. I just want to make sure that we understand.

Chalk River Nuclear Facility  Mr. Speaker, yesterday it was made very clear by the president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission that at no time was there a risk to the health and safety of the Canadian public, to workers or to the environment with respect to leaks at the Chalk River facility. Those are the facts.

Chalk River Nuclear Facility  Mr. Speaker, AECL, Atomic Energy Canada Limited, notified my office and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on Sunday of a heavy water leak. It was also discovered at the time what the cause of the leak was and the repair was undertaken. I can also indicate that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has released a statement informing Canadians that the leak had no impact on the safety or the operation of the reactor and posed no risk to the health and safety of the public, the workers or the environment.

Chalk River Nuclear Facility  Mr. Speaker, while I appreciate the vigour with which the hon. member has approached the question, I must say that her facts are incorrect. The reality is that we prize the health and safety of Canadians as our utmost concern in the government. We have taken concrete steps in dealing with medical isotopes here in this country while studying the best ways to ensure we have it in the future, that, in the medium term, we coordinate with our global partners with respect to the supply of medical isotopes, and that, in the short term, we take all the steps necessary at our reactor to ensure that we are delivering these medical isotopes in a timely and safe way.

Forestry Industry  Mr. Speaker, this government undertook an unprecedented level of consultation from one part of the country to the other, including British Columbia. I attended many round tables, speaking to those involved with the forestry industry, the result of which was the president and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada indicating the following on our economic action plan: “The Budget investments in innovation, market promotion and research and development signal to us the government gets it”.

Chalk River Nuclear Facilities  Mr. Speaker, we asked for reports from AECL, from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, and from our Natural Resources Canada officials. They produced reports. The reports were received yesterday and tabled this morning in Parliament to give full disclosure to Canadians that there was no radioactive leak into the Ottawa River and that there is no risk to the health and safety of Canadians.

Chalk River Nuclear Facilities  Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated before, I was made aware at the time of the incident and unplanned closure at Chalk River on December 6. I was given an assurance by the CNSC and by the AECL, which has been proven to be true, that there was no health and safety risk to Canadians because of the incident at Chalk River.

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) I am pleased to table, in both official languages, three reports regarding leaks at the National Research Universal reactor. I am tabling today, for full public disclosure, that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is assuring that a no time has the public or the environment been at risk and that there is no radioactive material leaking into the Ottawa River associated with these leaks.

Chalk River Nuclear Facilities  Mr. Speaker, I was anticipating the question, but I suppose it got caught in the rhetoric beforehand. What should be clearly understood by the member for Ottawa South is this. We have indicated that at Chalk River there was no radioactive leak into the Ottawa River. CNSC has assured us of that.