Evidence of meeting #39 for Natural Resources in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was binder.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Who is the current communications director for the CNSC?
President, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
We have Sharron Ellis, who is sitting right here.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
One of the points raised by a previous CNSC president was the need to listen to the experts, heed the professionals. Yet on more than one occasion the record shows that recommendations of the professional staff at the CNSC were disregarded. When the science and the fact-based evidence support the staff recommendations, would political considerations ever factor into licensing decisions?
President, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
I haven't seen any such cases.
Some people believe that because it's labelled a science it's black and white, easy to understand, right or wrong. It isn't like that. If it were, we wouldn't have the MAPLE issue. The MAPLE problem was that they couldn't understand the physics inside the core. That's why we're having this particular difficulty.
The tribunal, the staff, the proponent, the interveners—all of them bring different scientific perspectives to the table. We have a tribunal to take all of this into account in making a decision. They are probabilistic issues. We are talking about things that have a probabilistic outcome, and one has to make some judgment calls. This is a very long-winded way of telling you that, wherever possible, we take our staff into account and try to base our decisions on science.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
What are the circumstances under which the board would override staff recommendations when making a decision?
President, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
I wouldn't use language like “override”. The staff itself provide options.
For example, you have to do a trade-off between keeping something for how long versus the probability of an incident happening. So you have to always weigh probable trade-offs between one particular aspect and another. And many times staff tell us, “Here is option 1; here is option 2; here are the various probabilities associated with one or the other.”
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Okay, we may come back to that issue.
When hearings are held, are all members of the CNSC board present?
President, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
So far they have been, but they don't necessarily have to be. We can have hearings with fewer than the maximum seven members.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
So how is it decided what number or who will be present at a hearing?
President, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
I ask who wants to participate, and I have the authority to create a tribunal that is smaller. Until now, in the five months I have been there, I have asked, and anybody who wanted to participate actually participated.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
What are the rules of attendance, if any, with the board members? If the board members are required to be at a hearing and they don't attend, are there rules on whether or not they're still going to be a member of the board?
President, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Not to my knowledge. They get paid per hearing; they get per diem and travel, etc. But so far every time they wanted to attend, they attended. I haven't had this problem to date.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
There is a CNSC office on site at AECL in Chalk River. Would you describe how the staff on location convey the observations, reports, or the general flow of information to the board members?
President, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
They have staff in there. There is a manager who oversees compliance with all the rules of the plant. And if there is an incident—let's assume there is an on-plant shutdown—there is something called SDR, which is a particular incident-reporting that automatically goes to all commission members, and they then deal with this in a public hearing.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Thank you, Ms. Gallant. Your time is up.
We go now to the five-minute rounds, starting with the official opposition. Mr. St. Amand, you have up to five minutes.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, gentlemen, for coming this morning.
Is it Mr. or Dr. Binder?
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
You have been the president of CNSC for five months now, is that right?
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
And you were a commissioner on the commission for some period of time before that?
President, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
No, it's the same time, the same five months.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
The same five months. Okay, so you're brand-new to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
And did you, during your previous career, follow the workings at all of CNSC?
