Yes, there are a lot of questions embedded within that primary question of whether there is a future for nuclear.

I could spend a bit of time, but we're very cognizant, as the deputy said, of the fact that Canada is a tier one nuclear nation, and that is really important for the country of Canada.

We're also mindful of the CANDU technology that we have developed here, homegrown, just as we are with every other form of energy that we've developed here. We have been working very hard around the world internationally with the vendors to try to find whether there is uptake in various other countries.

We know that China is growing massively in this area, as is India. We continue to do that. We partner with some other countries, for example, to try to find other markets in Argentina and so on and so forth.

That is a quick answer on CANDU.

The $1.2 billion in the labs is exactly right. That is a huge investment for this government to make sure that the R and D is protected, that the IP is protected and that we're moving forward. I can say lots more on that. I won't at this moment, recognizing the time.

I would say that in terms of SMRs, if you want to talk about the future, really we're seeing a lot of activity in this space right now, and it is in some ways not surprising but in many ways refreshing to see that the world is coming to Canada for a potential play on SMRs, small modular reactors.

That primarily could help the north, we think. We're looking at that. We did a road map, a year-long exercise. We consulted Canadians, and in that road map we found that Canada is one of the best places to do it. We have one project before the regulator, the CNSC, that is going through right now. We have nine proposals.

New York came calling the other day. We went to New York to talk to Bloomberg because they're interested in investing, so I would encourage this committee to continue to look at that element.

The last thing I would say—and there is lots more, as I said—is let's not forget that we have uranium supplies here, too. When it comes to a one-stop shop for nuclear, we have some good things to say, but waste and cost are big issues and we have to get our heads around them in this country, and so does the world. We're working hard toward that end as well.

I hope that's a helpful answer.

Transcript

Discussions (0)