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Preamble
Nuclear power is one of the lowest-carbon sources of electricity, as recognized by IPCC and United Nations ECE. A majority of Canadians support using nuclear energy to generate electricity.
Proposal text
Green Party of Canada WILL CEASE BLANKET-OPPOSITION TO NUCLEAR POWER AS A SOURCE OF LOW-CARBON ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION.
Type of Proposal
Public policy that the party would represent.
Objective / Benefit
This resolution is intended to withdraw existing GPC policies which oppose Canada's use of nuclear technologies for non-military purposes. GPC policies which impede nuclear by calling for "renewable" energy shall be updated to replace "renewable" with "clean".
If your proposal replaces an existing policy or policies, which one does it replace?
1996 Foreign Aid - repeal
G06-p11 Enhanced Nuclear Policy - repeal
1998 - Peace and Security - repeal
G08-p012 Nuclear Power - repeal
G10-p31 Carbon Free National Feed-in Tariff - Amend: remove "non-nuclear,"
G08-136 Energy Transition Plan - Amend: change "renewable energy" to "clean energy"
G08-p137 Support of Distributed Electrical Power Grid Research - Amend: change "renewable energy" to "clean energy"
List any supporting evidence for your proposal
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe issued a report comparing not just lifecycle carbon emissions for various electricity sources, but overall impact on the environment and human health. Nuclear power was the single lowest CO2eq /kWh electricity source studied. The single lowest impact on ecosystems. And among the very lowest impact on human health. (CO2: Page 8. Ecosystems: Page 57. Human health: Page 58.) https://unece.org/sed/documents/2021/10/reports/life-cycle-assessment-electricity-generation-options
Our World In Data summarizes a modern assessment of various electricity system's safety and cleanliness. While not as in-depth or recent as UN ECE's study, Our World In Data clearly positioned nuclear in 2020 as one of humanity's safest and cleanest energy sources. https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sources-of-energy
Despite his continued opposition to nuclear power, Dr. Gordon Edwards acknowledges "Low-carbon emitting technologies include solar, wind, hydro and nuclear" in a 2021 briefing paper. https://www.ourcommons.ca/content/Committee/441/ENVI/WebDoc/WD11891319/11891319/RamanaMV-1-e.pdf
In GPC's "Roundtable on Canada's Nuclear Policy" Dr. Gordon Edward observes that splitting atoms for energy does not release carbon. (Excerpt with my commentary:) https://youtu.be/HKIcnbMMdO0?t=24 (Original video:) https://www.facebook.com/GreenPartyofCanada/videos/934857067289154/
The nuclear supply chain for CANDU refurbishments is 98% Canadian. https://www.opg.com/documents/2021-ontario-nuclear-collaboration-report/
This can be contrasted with other low (but not as low as nuclear) carbon energy sources where components are not domestically produced, such as wind turbines: https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/79fdad93-9025-49ad-ba16-c26d718cc070
Nuclear's domestic, Canadian, supply chain still achieves a cost /kWh only beaten by hydropower. https://www.oeb.ca/sites/default/files/rpp-price-report-20211022.pdf
On April 23, 2023, Dr. Chris Keefer debated Dr. Gordon Edwards on the subject of nuclear power in Canada. This was the "Roundtable on Canada's Nuclear Policy" that GPC members might have experienced, if a single pro-nuclear voice had been allowed to participate. https://youtu.be/LvMC8TK025w
Angus Reid Institute finds increasing support from Canadians for nuclear power. In June 2021, 51% of Canadians said they would like to see further development of nuclear power generation. Now 57% say the same. https://angusreid.org/canada-energy-nuclear-power-oil-and-gas-wind-solar/
This 57% of Canadians supporting nuclear matches a similar trend in the United States, where also now 57% support nuclear power. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/08/18/growing-share-of-americans-favor-more-nuclear-power/
Germany serves as a cautionary tale that renewables have not replaced their nuclear fleet. This video details use on online grid monitoring tools to evaluate Elizabeth May's statement (made during COP28) that shutting down nuclear power has "freed up" the grid to accept renewable energy, while not also noting that German grid remains high-carbon, and Germany immediately transitioned (upon the closure of their last nuclear power plants) from being net-exporter of electricity to net-importer of electricity. https://youtu.be/8rcMwmGuGSo
Does this proposal affect any particular group and what efforts have been made to consult with the group or groups?
N/A
Jurisdiction: Is this proposal under federal jurisdiction?
Yes
Please indicate the language the proposal is being submitted in.
English
This proposal is being evaluated
Posted on the Continuous Motion Development Vote tab for member review prior to the all-member vote.
Amendments (3)
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Created at
05/07/2024 -
- 6
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Created at
27/02/2024 -
- 0
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Created at
05/07/2024 -
- 0
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Mary, I understand Point Lepreau was not a smooth CANDU deployment nor a smooth refurb. Lifetime capacity factor to 2008 was 82%. So I can appreciate your skepticism. However, there are successful, on-budget, on-time deployments and refurbs in Ontario.... what you experienced isn't inherent to the tech. It is not uncommon, but since it IS possible to do it right, and we have working examples of how to do it right, I don't see how we can dismiss THE LOWEST-carbon source of energy on planet Earth.
To be clear, GPC policy is NO NUCLEAR, NO URANIUM MINING, NO EXPORT OF URANIUM. GPC existing anti-nuclear policy isn't about avoiding cost-overruns like at Point Lepreau, existing GPC anti-nuclear policy would render all CANDU useless because mining uranium would be illegal.
That will never happen of course. But it is our policy.
Canadian uranium mining (domestic and exported) offsets 1/3 of ALL of Canada's emissions. Across all sectors. Not just electricity production... everything.
It is a very serious thing to take a tech off the table. Utilities haven't deployed CANDU and aren't eyeing SMR just because they want to burn money. They're responsible for having supply meet demand, and it is actually quite a difficult thing to do so with intermittent energy sources.
I'm in Alberta. We don't have much in way of hydro resources. GPC's renewable roadmap does NOT include expansion of hydro. It seems hydro-rich provinces would NOT be put at as much risk with a balance-intermittent-energy strategy... you're telling us non-hydro provinces we can't use a tech which would be much more important to us then it could ever be to you.
OEB says nuclear is the second-cheapest source of electricity, after hydro. (This is in my proposal, please review it.)
Nuclear is THE lowest-CO2 energy source. (UN ECE Report in my proposal.)
Nuclear is AMONG the lowest-impact sources of energy. (UN ECE Report in my proposal.)
Please consider what we are doing by dismissing the lowest-carbon source of Energy on planet Earth.
We can still be suspicious of nuclear. We can still campaign against individual projects. But they can't be all equally bad.
Ontario decarbonized with nuclear. France decarbonized with nuclear. Sweden. Switzerland.
Germany tried to decarbonize without it. Their grid is still filthy. What did Germany do wrong, that Canada would not be about to do following GPC's policy? If it is so easy and cheap, why is Germany still burning coal? And Ontario not?
If you want to talk about nuclear waste, I'm happy to do that. However I'd like to be seeing eye-to-eye on you regarding other matters before we discuss that specifically.
Please let me know if what I'm saying thus far makes sense.
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