The President and CEO of Bruce Power didn’t mince any words on the future of the Canadian nuclear industry.
Duncan Hawthorne is calling on the federal government to make a decision.
In Hawthorne’s speech to the Empire Club in Toronto on Thursday — he said “Make up your mind, make a plan and stick to it.”
He says Canada has not shown leadership when it comes to the nuclear industry.
In fact, he says Canada is “schizophrenic” when it comes to its nuclear industry.
Hawthorne says one day they’ll support the industry politically but then the next, they back away from any support at all.
He says the government has to face facts and realize the business is here to stay.
The problem is without support in Canada, the country will lose its leadership role in global nuclear and somewhere down the line will lose its experienced personnel to other countries.
Right now he says the hot spot for nuclear development is in Asia and in France and their using Canadian know-how with Candu reactors built by AECL.
AECL’s future is on the block because of the lack of a definitive plan to back the Canadian nuclear industry.
He says they’re not looking for subsidies from government but rather political, moral support for the industry — particularly from the feds.
Hawthorne was coy on whether or not Bruce Power is still bidding on AECL, saying he might be bound by confidentiality agreements to say nothing.
He did say read between the lines.
