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Seven Canadian environmental groups challenge the nuclear industry’s false claims

Seven Canadians from environmental organizations submitted a complaint to the Competition Bureau on Oct. 16, 2024, asking the Bureau to take action against the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) and its members for falsely promoting nuclear energy as “clean” and “non-emitting.” These industry claims constitute misleading and deceptive marketing practices prohibited under Section 9 of the Competition Act.

The complaint demonstrates that the nuclear industry emits radioactive toxic pollutants during uranium mining and milling, and during the routine operation of nuclear reactors. Producing toxic pollutants which must be stored for hundreds of thousands of years is not “clean.” Annual releases from routine operations of all Canadian nuclear facilities are listed on a federal government website, HERE.

The same group of Canadians filed an earlier complaint in February, which the Competition Bureau dismissed, stating that the CNA’s claims of “clean” and “non-emitting” nuclear energy were “political statements” and not a priority for the Bureau. This new complaint makes it clear that the CNA’s false and misleading claims are promotional and aimed at portraying a “green” image to the public. The industry directly targets children with its teachnuclear.ca learning modules designed for schools, teachers and students.

The false “clean” image is intended to generate support for nuclear energy now when there is public concern about climate change. Nuclear energy’s high costs and toxic emissions, and the cost and time over-runs of new reactor builds have led to a declining share of global energy production over the past three decades. However the “clean” rhetoric has gained traction. Branding nuclear as “green” is a crucial step to unfairly gaining access to public funds, tax breaks and subsidies earmarked for real clean energy options.

The October complaint to the Competition Bureau can be downloaded HERE.

November 7, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | opposition to nuclear