Published by: World Tibet Network News 97/12/03

Sierra Club of Canada

Energy Probe

Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout

Media Release

Federal government continues to ignore human and environmental impacts of trade deals with China

Thursday, November 27, 1997 - For Immediate Release

Ottawa - In the wake of the APEC summit, the Canadian government continues to marginalize human and environmental rights issues when dealing with China, environment groups said today. "I hope that Prime Minister Chrétien pays more than lip service to human and environment rights when he meets with President Jiang Zemin in Ottawa on Friday," said Elizabeth May of the Sierra Club of Canada. "However, I think this is unlikely, given the government's lack of resolve on these issues at APEC and its continued support of projects like the Three Gorges dam and the sale of CANDU reactors to China."

May noted that the government's efforts to expedite CANDU reactor sales not only ignore China's poor environmental and human rights record, but also compromises democratic processes and the rule of law in Canada. In January 1997, the Sierra Club of Canada filed an application for judicial review with the Federal Court of Canada in connection with the CANDU sale to China.

A decision on the Sierra Club's court case is still pending, but the government has acknowledged that "its case is not strong and that the Federal Court may well rule in favour of the Sierra Club." The statement was made in a secret federal Cabinet document, made public earlier this month.

Kristen Ostling of the Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout stated that "the continuation of the CANDU sale to China, in spite of the ongoing safety scandal at Ontario Hydro and after the federal government's own lawyers have stated that there is a strong possibility that the government will lose the court case is disgraceful. It is symptomatic of a total lack of concern about the environmental and societal impact of Canada's trade with China. We need to ask ourselves what Canada is losing as a country by trading with China at any cost."

Ostling noted the government's response to protest during the APEC summit. "The massive security measures in Vancouver and the response to protesters at UBC shows that trading with repressive regimes like China is making Canada more repressive. Chr=E9tien's willingness to compromise Canadian democracy in order to protect CANDU exports is one indicator of this trend."

Norman Rubin of Energy Probe added, "The fact that President Jiang is still willing to buy CANDU reactors while the same reactors are literally bankrupting Ontario Hydro says a great deal about him, and his colleagues. They are apparently as oblivious to information as they are to human rights. The question remains, what kind of a regime would sell these

reactors?"

For more information:

Kristen Ostling, Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout (613) 789-3634

Elizabeth May, Sierra Club of Canada, (613) 241-4611

Norman Rubin, Energy Probe, (416) 964-9223