Canada’s National Statement: Nuclear Energy Summit (2024)

Canada’s National Statement

Nuclear Energy Summit
Brussels, Belgium
March 21, 2024

Director General Grossi, Prime Minister De Croo, fellow Member States. On behalf of Prime Minister Trudeau and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada thanks the IAEA and Belgium for their leadership on this first ever Nuclear Energy Summit. We fully support the IAEA’s efforts to advance nuclear energy worldwide, including through its work on nuclear safety, security, and safeguards implementation. This Summit comes at a critical moment in our collective efforts to advance the role of nuclear energy in the fight against climate change, and in supporting global energy security.

Canada is making a vital contribution in this space. We will continue to play our part to support global energy security, including through our exports of clean and reliable Canadian technologies, and resources - from low-carbon building materials to clean hydrogen, to uranium and beyond.

The climate crisis is transforming the global economy, as financial markets price climate risk into investment decisions. Capital is flowing from assets that are incompatible with a transition to a net-zero world towards opportunities that are; this very much includes nuclear.

The Government of Canada has demonstrated its commitment towards investment in nuclear through historic Clean Economy Investment Tax Credits, our innovative Green Bond Framework and through the work of Canada’s Infrastructure Bank, which is financing one of the world’s first commercial small modular reactors (SMRs) at our Darlington site in Ontario.

Canada recognizes the key role of nuclear energy and technologies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, meeting climate change targets, supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and delivering energy security. Indeed, Canada’s CANDU nuclear technology has been delivering these benefits at home and abroad for over half a century. As home to some of the most sustainable and reliable uranium deposits in the world, Canada remains steadfast in our commitment to forging more reliable uranium supply chains for global partners.

As we scale up nuclear technology, Canada and our world-class regulator remain steadfast in our commitment to the responsible management of radioactive waste for generations to come. 

And as Canadians are working hard to revitalize our domestic nuclear industry, many  partners around the world are looking to Canada as a trusted supplier of nuclear technology and fuels; including CANDUs, small modular reactors, reliably sourced uranium, and life-saving medical isotopes.

With decades of expertise across the nuclear supply chain, Canada stands ready to support our global partners. In an increasingly complex world, the most reliable partnerships represent the most responsible investments.

In this regard, Canada is actively advancing progress with a number of partners in Europe and globally, including through the provision of Canadian technology solutions, fuel supply agreements, as well as export financing that collectively support the phase-out of coal and the generation of clean, reliable and affordable energy. These efforts directly support Europe’s effort to end energy dependency on Putin’s regime, while demonstrating how Canada and our world-renowned CANDU reactors will play an increasingly important role in decarbonizing and securing energy systems globally, both today and for decades to come.

As a global community, this Summit presents us with a critical window of opportunity to strengthen our collective resolve towards reaching net-zero. Canada is proud to work alongside our partners and friends as we endeavour to meet our collective future energy needs while taking bold and necessary action to combat the climate crisis.

Thank you, merci.