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OTTAWA—Unifor welcomes the focus on CANDU in the federal government’s Nuclear Energy Strategy, released on June 22.
“Canada needs a sovereign, secure, and unionized production supply chain across the energy sector,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “With a focus on Canadian intellectual property, the Nuclear Energy Strategy has the potential to safely grow our world-leading nuclear sector.”
Unifor’s campaign “Build Canadian Nuclear” has fiercely advocated for continued investment in CANDU infrastructure, with the goal of a Canadian nuclear supply chain from design, fuel, construction, to operation. The union has argued that government-owned public utilities are the best way to provide affordable power, which establishes Canada’s competitive advantage for clean electricity production over the long term.
“Everyone wins with publicly owned electricity utilities. Consumers enjoy safe, affordable, and reliable power; workers benefit from good jobs on Canadian soil; and governments are assured a supply chain protected from international political volatility,” added Payne. “Using Canadian technology just makes good sense.”
Unifor encourages the federal government to reject the trend towards U.S.-controlled fuel sources and intellectual property as Canada's energy consumption expands.
Representatives of Unifor Local 7474-SPEA were present at the Strategy’s announcement. Read their full release here.
Unifor is Canada’s union for energy workers, representing more than 15,000 workers across all sectors and steps in the supply chain, including extraction, refining, distribution, and maintenance. It is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
