News Flash

Lunn knew of reactor problems
Minister accused of withholding news for two days before colleagues found out

OTTAWA — Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn knew for two days that the reactor responsible for much of the world's production of medical isotopes was out of service before he told his cabinet colleagues, opposition members said yesterday.

Health Minister Tony Clement complained this week that he was not informed about the shutdown until Dec. 5, more than two weeks after the reactor was turned off for maintenance work and then kept off because the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission discovered a safety violation. The news came to Mr. Clement through a reporter.

Mr. Lunn told the House of Commons this week that he was apprised of the reactor's closing on Dec. 3.

"Can the Minister of Health explain why his colleague, the Minister of Natural Resources, waited two days to advise him about the crisis that was coming?" deputy Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff demanded to know yesterday during Parliament's daily Question Period.

Mr. Clement did not answer directly, instead pointing out that catastrophe was averted with emergency legislation this week that got the reactor running again.

But when Mr. Ignatieff persisted, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the ministers acted as quickly as possible upon learning the information.

"The real question is why the deputy leader of the Opposition does not listen to himself," said the Prime Minister. "He says this was a crisis, but as late as this Tuesday afternoon he was still insisting the government should defer to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, to [CNSC president Linda] Keen, and not act at all."

Ms. Keen refused to allow the reactor in Chalk River, Ont., to resume operations because Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., the unit's owner, had not done a required safety upgrade.

In responding to the decision, Mr. Harper called her a Liberal partisan because she was appointed by the previous government.

Mr. Harper lashed back angrily yesterday at Omar Alghabra, a Liberal MP from Mississauga, who accused him of attempting to undermine Ms. Keen's credibility.

"On Tuesday afternoon, the Liberal Party was attempting to defend the actions of Ms. Keen which were going to put hundreds of thousands of people's health in jeopardy.

"That night, the Liberal Party completely abandoned Ms. Keen and passed the government's legislation" to get the reactor running, said Mr. Harper.

"Yesterday, it continued to abandon her and passed the legislation through the Senate. Today, the Liberal party is back trying to defend the actions of Ms. Keen and the Nuclear Safety Commission."

Ms. Keen has denied any political affiliation. And she did not comment on the startup of the reactor yesterday.

Mr. Alghabra told the House it is ironic that the Conservatives are calling Ms. Keen partisan when one of the independent inspectors they consulted to determine whether the reactor could be safely restarted is on the executive of a Conservative riding association.

But Bob Strickert, who is the vice-president of the Conservative riding association in Durham, east of Toronto, pointed out in a telephone interview that he has 31 years of experience in the nuclear industry, including stints in management at the Pickering and Darlington plants.

He has also done much consultation for the Ontario Liberal government, he said. So, as far as his Conservative affiliation impacts on his knowledge of the nuclear industry, said Mr. Strickert, "the one doesn't have anything to do with the other."