Former Saskatchewan cabinet minister Dustin Duncan has joined a national campaign advocating for the deployment of Canadian-made nuclear technology. Duncan, who served as cabinet minister under both former premier Brad Wall and current Premier Scott Moe, has been named a co-chair of Canadians for CANDU. The advocacy group is campaigning for an all-Canadian approach to the country’s plans for large scale nuclear development through technology. Duncan joins former prime minister Jean Chrétien and former Ontario premier Mike Harris. Both Chrétien and Harris say Duncan brings an important perspective to the table, given Saskatchewan’s uranium production. “Dustin understands Saskatchewan’s energy and economic landscape and brings significant experience from his time in government,” Harris said in a news release from the organization. Duncan previously nearly 20 years in the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly, holding numerous senior cabinet portfolios, including minister responsible for SaskPower and the Crown Investments Corporation, as well as the minister of environment. He has been involved in Saskatchewan’s work to evaluate nuclear energy and build cooperation between provinces on nuclear development. “Saskatchewan’s large-scale nuclear opportunity is about more than generating electricity. It is about how the province can turn a major energy investment into a broader economic advantage,” Duncan said in the announcement. The former minister was also quoted saying the combination of Saskatchewan’s strength as a global uranium leader and Canada’s mature nuclear industry will have a positive outcome. “Connecting those strengths can create highly skilled jobs, attract investment and keep more of the value created by nuclear development here in Canada, while delivering the reliable power Saskatchewan will need to grow,” he said. CANDU (short for CANada Deuterium Uranium) is a Canadian-designed pressurized heavy water reactor design first developed in the 1950s. According to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, all of Canada’s four nuclear plants, including Bruce A and B, Pickering, Darlington, and Point Lepreau feature CANDU reactors. Nuclear power currently accounts for 15 per cent of Canada’s electricity generation. CANDU reactors have been exported to several nations including South Korea, Romania, China, India and Argentina. According to the campaign, over 250 Canadian companies contribute to the CANDU supply chain.
