MP Gallant Supports AECL

December 05, 2007

Ottawa, Ontario - Cheryl Gallant, MP Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, questioned the Minister of Health today regarding the recent shutdown of the NRU reactor at the Chalk River Laboratories location of Atomic Energy of Canada.

“Canada is responsible for two-thirds of the world’s supply of radioisotopes that are used in nuclear medicine. It is important that Canada’s reputation as a reliable supplier of nuclear radioisotopes be maintained. I am confident that the women and men who work at AECL will continue to do their professional job at what we know is one of the premium neutron research sites in the world,” stated MP Cheryl Gallant.

HANSARD, DECEMBER 5 2007
Mrs. Cheryl Gallant (Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, Conservative):

Mr. Speaker, in my riding the nuclear reactor at Chalk River laboratories went into shutdown two weeks ago for scheduled repairs. This resulted in a cross-country shortage of radioisotopes and medical tests being cancelled.

Now we have learned that during the reactor's maintenance check, regulators found more problems to repair than expected, which will mean that the reactor will not be operating at full capacity for another 10 days.

Can the Minister of Health tell us what the government is doing for this urgent situation?

Hon. Tony Clement (Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, Conservative):

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member is no doubt aware, both AECL and the regulator are arm's-length organizations independent of government. Nonetheless, we are certainly very concerned about this issue.

I am indeed working very closely with my colleague, the Minister of Natural Resources, on this issue and I am informed today that we are in the midst of securing sufficient medical isotopes to address emergency procedures.

The Minister of Natural Resources and myself certainly want to reiterate that we have asked AECL officials to do whatever can be done, if possible to be done, to resolve the situation to the benefit of all Canadians.