Science and Research Committee on Sept. 26th, 2022

[Ron McKinnon, Liberal, Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Natural Resources, please do carry on, if you can.

[André Bernier]

I don't have too much to add on that point. One of the main sensitivities when we get into reprocessing, especially if it involves the movement of nuclear waste across borders, is the risk of proliferation. We know that SMRs in general are using a different kind of fuel and producing a different kind of waste than CANDU reactors, so by no means is it an insurmountable obstacle, but it is a very different set of considerations than our current equilibrium, where we have natural uranium being used in country and not reprocessed.

Moltex, which is one of the SMR developers with roots in New Brunswick, is looking actively at this. There are many tough questions in the future, but it is certainly considered as one of the potential SMR models.

[Ron McKinnon, Liberal, Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

I guess I don't have any more time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Kirsty Duncan]

I'm sorry, Mr. McKinnon. We thank you for the questions.

Thank you to all our witnesses.

We will now go to Monsieur Blanchette-Joncas for two and a half minutes, please.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I will direct my questions to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

The Impact Assessment Act, in force since 2019, excludes from the impact assessment process nuclear fission or fusion reactor projects with a thermal capacity of more than 200 megawatt thermal located outside an existing nuclear facility.

I would like to know if future nuclear reactor projects will be subject to an impact assessment.

How will Canadians, particularly Quebeckers, know that it’s done safely, based on environmental issues that will be taken into account?

[Caroline Ducros]

The Impact Assessment Act has a project list that designates which projects are subject to the impact assessment. In terms of the question, any SMR located within the licensed boundary of an existing class IA nuclear facility, if the proposed project had a combined thermal capacity of 900 megawatts, would be subject to an impact assessment under the Impact Assessment Act. If it was located outside a class I nuclear facility and licensed boundary and had a capacity greater than 200 megawatts thermal, it would also be subject to an Impact Assessment Act IA.

Having said that, any project that goes through the CNSC, any licence application that goes through the CNSC, is subject to an environmental projection review under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act.

To the second part of the question, these reviews ensure that impacts on the environment from proposed projects are limited and manageable, and that the environment and the health of persons continue to be protected. Also, the environmental protection reviews ensure that the public and the indigenous—

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Excuse me for interrupting. I’d like to ask a second question, as time is running out.

Wouldn’t it be safer to conduct systematic impact assessments for all projects, especially because we know that they can present environmental risks?

Why exclude nuclear development projects from the Impact Assessment Act?

[Caroline Ducros]

The project list for the Impact Assessment Act was based on the risk profiles of facilities. The Nuclear Safety and Control Act is a very powerful act, and has an environmental—

[The Chair, Liberal, Kirsty Duncan]

I'm sorry to interrupt.

Monsieur Blanchette-Joncas, your time is up. Would you like the answer to be tabled?

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Of course, Madam Chair. I would like an answer to be tabled.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Kirsty Duncan]

Thank you.

Mr. Cannings, we haven't even given you time to catch your breath. You have two and a half minutes, please.

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

My apologies to the panel for missing your testimony. I was at an emergency debate.

I will ask a question of Natural Resources Canada about training.

I'd just like to hear your thoughts on the training that is necessary, especially to operate small modular reactors. How long does that training take, and what kind of qualifications are necessary, etc.?

Thank you.

[André Bernier]

I will respond only briefly, which reflects a bit of a lack of in-depth expertise on that on my part.

Certainly the work to become an engineer or someone working in a nuclear facility requires extensive training—years and years, in many cases—on top of someone's undergraduate and graduate work and special licence. That's a very top-of-mind thing for us as we think about the next generation of nuclear operators working on SMRs. In fact, Mr. Brady and I were meeting with McMaster University just a bit earlier today. We know that Canada's universities, among others, are very interested in getting themselves ready well in advance to make sure that the workforce of the future is there.

I could tag my colleague, Dan Brady, here.

Dan, if you would like to join us for a moment, you could elaborate a bit more on the training requirements. What changes, if any, might there be as we think about work with small modular reactors?

[Daniel Brady, Deputy Director, Nuclear Science and Technology, Department of Natural Resources]

Thank you for the question.

For part of the requirements, I was going to actually defer to the CNSC, as any operator there has to meet their requirements as part of the overall training. Maybe they'll provide a bit more on that aspect.

The training of the younger generation into these roles, as well as making sure that the ones who are operating these facilities are well trained, is a very important aspect going forward.

Maybe Ms. Ducros can provide a bit more insight.

[Caroline Ducros]

Yes, that is correct. Having adequate training of staff by the nuclear operators is a requirement of the licence. We do compliance verification against that requirement at all operating facilities.

[The Chair, Liberal, Kirsty Duncan]

Thank you, Mr. Cannings.

To all our witnesses, we'd like to thank you very much. You are the last witnesses of this study. We appreciate your time, experience and expertise. We'd really like to thank you.

With that, to our committee, we will briefly suspend because we will be going into committee business.

[Proceedings continue in camera]