Mr. Speaker, April 26, 1996 marks the 10th anniversary of the tragedy in Chernobyl. According to the Ukrainian authorities, this tragedy has, in the ten years, killed over 4,220 people, more than half of whom had been assigned to decontaminate the site after the explosion.
The official opposition wishes to offer its most heartfelt condolences to the survivors of the tragedy and to all those who lost someone near to them in this accident.
In addition, it is estimated that more than 3.5 million people, including thousands of children, have been seriously affected by radiation, which continues to wreak its devastation. We wish all these people the courage they need to get through this terrible ordeal.
The members of the Bloc Quebecois, on behalf of all their constituents, wish to thank all people and governments providing technical and financial assistance and comfort to the Ukrainians affected.
Chernobyl is a tragedy with a lesson for us all. It must lead to a tightening of standards and safety requirements for nuclear power plants. However, most importantly, we must not forget that no technology is perfect, however sophisticated it may be.
Political decisions compounded the effects of the catastrophe at the time it occurred and subsequently. While the events at Chernobyl may be due to a technical error, they were due just as much to political error, from which no government can claim to be exempt.
The recent incidents at Pickering, Ontario, although of a very different scope, show that the Government of Canada is not above trying to hide information from people on the potential dangers they face.
We hope that the minister's speech today will encourage the heads of this power plant to respond to the pressing questions of people in the region and of environmental groups, who are entitled to answers.
Today we are recalling the 10th anniversary of Chernobyl. May it be an event that is the last of its kind.