"An agency's independence from the executive branch of
government is a prerequisite for impartiality in decision-making"
said Hugh Wilkins, a staff lawyer at Ecojustice. "President Keen's
dismissal is significantly damaging to the application of this
fundamental principle of law."
"My fear is that Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn will
replace Ms Keen with a yes-man who will water-down the safety
requirements for building new reactors in Canada as a favour to
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited," said Shawn-Patrick Stensil, an
energy campaigner with Greenpeace Canada.
The Canadian nuclear industry is upset that the CNSC has stated
than any new reactor built in Canada will be required to meet the
minimum requirements set by the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), which has inhibited AECL's ability to sell and build new
reactors to meet the timelines required to meet the needs of the
Ontario government's plan. The Auditor-General's recent report
noted that "The loss of this pre-licensing statement [from the
CNSC] puts AECL at a competitive disadvantage in marketing the
ACR," its proposed new reactor design.
Last year Minister Lunn told the Globe and Mail that he was not
'technology neutral' and that it was 'imperative' for AECL to sell
to the Ontario market. The groups note that there is an obvious
conflict of interest for any Minister of Natural Resources, being
responsible for both AECL, which promotes the sale of Candu
reactors, and the CNSC, which is mandated to regulate without
regard to economic interests.
The groups are calling for the minority parliament to pass
legislation to move oversight and ministerial responsibility for
the CNSC to another department, such as Environment Canada, with a
mandate more in line with the CNSC's responsibility to protect
human health and the environment.
"Ontario is proposing to undertake a massive nuclear
construction programme. Canadians need the confidence that their
nuclear regulator is independent, transparent and working to
protect them from nuclear accidents. It is essential that Canada's
nuclear power regulation and oversight move forward to be among the
best examples of regulatory oversight in the world. However,
interfering with the independence of the tribunal undermines the
confidence one could have in the federal nuclear regulator," said
Theresa McClenaghan, Executive Director of the Canadian
Environmental Law Association.
For more information contact:
Shawn-Patrick Stensil, energy campaigner, Greenpeace Canada,
416-884-7053 [English/French]
Theresa McClenaghan, Executive Director, CELA, 416-662-8341
Hugh Wilkins, staff lawyer, EcoJustice, 416-368-7533