Quick Passage Of Isotopes Legislation Sparks Commons Debate
Posted December 12, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The federal Liberals are promising quick action regarding emergency legislation aimed at ending a critical shortage of medical isotopes.
Liberal Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette said Wednesday her party will ensure speedy passage of an emergency legislation bill, calling it a critical health-and-safety concern.
“We intend to make the process fast and make sure that the bill is in place as soon as possible,” Hervieux-Payette said Wednesday, a day after the legislation was approved during frantic behind-the-scenes negotiations.
The approval has, however, left a bad taste in the mouths of some Liberals, who accuse Tory Prime Minister Stephen Harper of turning a critical safety issue into a partisan battle.
Harper blamed the Liberals for preventing the reopening of a 50-year-old nuclear reactor in Chalk River , Ont., which is responsible for production of half the world’s supply of radioisotopes used in diagnostic cancer and cardiology tests.
Harper accused the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission of being too slow in allowing the reactor to restart because its board of directors was filled with Liberal appointees.
Nova Scotia Liberal MP Geoff Regan said Harper’s words undermine the authority of the commission.
“I thought that was a new low for Mr. Harper,” Regan said. “I think he should basically apologize to Canadians for trying to treat this in a partisan way.”
The legislation bypasses the nuclear safety watchdog, allowing Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. to resume operating the reactor for 120 days before shutting down again for repairs and safety upgrades.
The initial shutdown came from the commission, which found serious safety concerns last month. The bill forced politicians to make a choice between the immediate health concerns of Canadians who can’t get life-saving medical tests and the potential health concerns that could arise in the event of a nuclear accident.
But Harper baldly insists there’s no risk in restarting the reactor, declaring in the Commons that there will be “no nuclear accident.”
The Chalk River reactor is North America ‘s only source of the base isotope used for most medical diagnostic tests systems. The isotope is used to create images and treatments for a range of illnesses including heart problems and cancers.
The reactor closed Nov. 18 for maintenance. It was scheduled to reopen five days later but remained shut down to install safety equipment. It was not expected to return to full production until mid-January. It was shut down after the safety commission discovered AECL had been operating it for a year without the required emergency power system connected to two cooling pumps.
