Natural Resources committee  I guess we really don't understand the intent of the clause. If we're able to make an agreement otherwise for more than 50%, why would the minister prevent us from bringing forward to the minister a full package that covers our obligations up to the $650 million? I know the department sees the 50% limit as permissive, but what it ultimately does is present a ceiling above which we cannot go.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you for the question. There are two observations to make. One is that the evolution of our safety systems has kept pace with the technology changes in our industry. Obviously we can now do more with computerized systems that permit us to do even heavier monitoring than we did in the past, and we have had to retrofit, as we should, some of our existing units with new redundant systems.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Madame. At the moment we have accumulated about $3.5 million in premiums from the industry. I haven't broken it out into individual members. I'm sure that would be available from each of them. We tend to aggregate them. Our concern is that if we are required to access one precise piece of the market when we know there are broader markets available, you will probably pay a higher premium because of that exclusivity.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee, for inviting me to be here with my colleague Pierre Guimond, who is the association's director of regulatory affairs. I have a brief statement and will obviously be pleased to take questions afterwards. The Canadian Nuclear Association is a non-profit organization established in 1960 to represent the nuclear industry in Canada and promote the development and growth of nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes.

Natural Resources committee  Do you want us to talk longer?

Natural Resources committee  It is indeed a fair comment that this is a complex package. But I think what Mr. Henuset was really commenting on was that it would be nice to be able to have one package that considered all of the elements inside. He has one project, but I think what is happening is that there are a number of places where duplication occurs.

Natural Resources committee  I think the other thing that happens, particularly in a place like Bruce, is that the population generally knows everything that's going on at that plant. It's relatively small by numbers, compared to Toronto or Montreal or Vancouver or anything like that. So people are generally aware of what's happening.

Natural Resources committee  There are two opportunities with respect to nuclear. One, because it produces large amounts of energy and because it runs best at 24/7, it is capable of helping to sustain the intermittent nature of some other of our renewable fuels, like solar and wind. So we end up being able to help the system manage the intermittent nature of those units.

Natural Resources committee  In what way? I'm sorry, we have lots of statistics and we have lots of material with respect to satisfaction generally in the area. But I can tell you, just like working with safety, keeping host communities content that you are doing all that you should for the benefit of safety and security is an ongoing business that each of our operators works pretty hard at.

Natural Resources committee  I think there are two responses, however. One is that people generally, and this I shouldn't think would surprise us, are comfortable with what they have, but when people decide that they're going to change the nature of a unit, maybe add or whatever, people want to go back to square one and go through the very ideas that are going to be put in front of them.

Natural Resources committee  I think what you are doing is confusing the announcement of the $540 million that is associated with the flowing of money to the heritage waste issue. That is not money that is going to subsidize—

Natural Resources committee  There's a cash flow, but I'm not sure it's $840 million. I haven't seen those numbers anywhere.

Natural Resources committee  You can send them to me, but I think you have misconstrued some numbers.

Natural Resources committee  There is a process available to find a site that has been offered for decision to the federal authorities. It was filed by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization in November of 2005. It resided with the previous government. It is now residing with the current government to give the go-ahead to begin a process to find a site.

Natural Resources committee  There is a secure, safe, well-founded, and well-funded way to manage our waste currently. Our capacity to manage going into the future is well secure until the process that has been identified by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization has been permitted to proceed. There is no danger with respect to the fuels we now manage.