New Democrats expect answers on isotope crisis

OTTAWA- At today’s emergency meeting of the Natural Resources Committee, New Democrat Nathan Cullen is hoping that Canadians will finally get the answers that they have been demanding about the long term impacts of the Chalk River shutdown.

Since May, patients have been facing dangerous delays for important medical tests, and hospitals and health care networks are being hit with ballooning costs. Sadly, the Conservative government has failed to reassure Canadians that alternative measures are in place to ensure that no one’s health is at risk because of the shutdown.

“The Conservative Government has misled Canadians about Chalk River from the start,” said Cullen. “First, the Minister repeatedly denied a radioactive leak at the reactor, and then she downplayed the impacts that the shutdown and isotope shortage would have on Canadians and promised a speedy resolution to the crisis. Now AECL says that Chalk River won’t open until 2010. It is hard to know what to believe.”

“The Government has repeatedly misled Canadians on this issue. I hope that the witnesses appearing before the committee today will finally be prepared to provide some honest answers.”