John Ivison in today's National Spot argues that the head that ought to roll over the Chalk River reactor fiasco is wee Gary Lunn's.
Gary Lunn seems to have taken on a new senior advisor -- one Homer J. Simpson -- judging by the shoddy letter the Natural Resources Minister sent to the head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Linda Keen, in which he asked for reasons why he shouldn't fire her.
The Minister appears to agree with Homer that there is no need for an independent nuclear regulator and that safety is best assured by thanking the Almighty for nuclear power, "which has yet to cause a single proven fatality, at least in this country."
She concluded that Mr. Lunn can't fire her unless the government can prove just cause, "and there are no grounds upon which an objective reviewer would conclude that cause exists in my case."
In the recent case of Jean Pelletier, Jean Chétien's former chief of staff who was fired as head of Via Rail by Paul Martin, a federal court eventually resolved that the Martin government had acted in a "cavalier and precipitous fashion".
An objective look at the facts presented by both parties in this dispute suggests this is an apt description of the stunt Mr. Lunn is trying to pull. Among other gems in Ms. Keen's letter, she said that Mr. Lunn's staff was told about the planned shutdown of the reactor on Nov. 29. Mr. Lunn has said he didn't know until Dec. 3, while Health Minister Tony Clement complained that he was not informed until Dec. 5. Perhaps the Minister's witch-hunt should start closer to home.
What is clear is that Mr. Lunn wants to assert the supremacy of Parliament over an independent agency, which is perhaps as it should be. But power comes with responsibility and the buck for this whole debacle stops at the Minister's desk. The commission's role is to ensure that nuclear plants run in compliance with their licences. In the case of Chalk River, the operator, AECL, discovered that it had been running the reactor for almost two years without the safety upgrades required under its licence and voluntarily closed down the reactor.
Ms. Keen's only crime seems to have been doing her job diligently. Then again, she was appointed by the Liberals, which makes her a convenient scapegoat.
Gary Lunn seems to have taken on a new senior advisor -- one Homer J. Simpson -- judging by the shoddy letter the Natural Resources Minister sent to the head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Linda Keen, in which he asked for reasons why he shouldn't fire her.
The Minister appears to agree with Homer that there is no need for an independent nuclear regulator and that safety is best assured by thanking the Almighty for nuclear power, "which has yet to cause a single proven fatality, at least in this country."
She concluded that Mr. Lunn can't fire her unless the government can prove just cause, "and there are no grounds upon which an objective reviewer would conclude that cause exists in my case."
In the recent case of Jean Pelletier, Jean Chétien's former chief of staff who was fired as head of Via Rail by Paul Martin, a federal court eventually resolved that the Martin government had acted in a "cavalier and precipitous fashion".
An objective look at the facts presented by both parties in this dispute suggests this is an apt description of the stunt Mr. Lunn is trying to pull. Among other gems in Ms. Keen's letter, she said that Mr. Lunn's staff was told about the planned shutdown of the reactor on Nov. 29. Mr. Lunn has said he didn't know until Dec. 3, while Health Minister Tony Clement complained that he was not informed until Dec. 5. Perhaps the Minister's witch-hunt should start closer to home.
What is clear is that Mr. Lunn wants to assert the supremacy of Parliament over an independent agency, which is perhaps as it should be. But power comes with responsibility and the buck for this whole debacle stops at the Minister's desk. The commission's role is to ensure that nuclear plants run in compliance with their licences. In the case of Chalk River, the operator, AECL, discovered that it had been running the reactor for almost two years without the safety upgrades required under its licence and voluntarily closed down the reactor.
Ms. Keen's only crime seems to have been doing her job diligently. Then again, she was appointed by the Liberals, which makes her a convenient scapegoat.
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For those interested in the campaign to unseat Lunn, google Shun Lunn or visit the Website here: http://members.shaw.ca/shunlunn/
All the details of Chalk river are on the Nuclear debate page and many more of Gary's BLunnders are listed for your amusement.
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