Event Date: April 25, 2023 - 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Location: FSS 4007; in person and Zoom, 120 University Private, University of Ottawa

Presented by CIPS

Climate change is increasingly visible and disruptive, and it is widely understood that the world urgently needs to transition to low carbon emitting energy. Citing the climate crisis, the Canadian nuclear industry is advocating for a major expansion of nuclear energy across the country. Of course, expanding nuclear capacity would have political, economic, social and energy security implications. What are the pros and cons of Canada following this nuclear energy pathway? Do we need to scale up nuclear power to combat climate change?

The University of Ottawa’s Centre for International Policy Studies is hosting a public debate with implications for a major question of our time: how will Canada respond to the climate crisis? The stage will feature moderator Patricia Fuller, University of Ottawa Senior Fellow and former Ambassador for Climate Change, in conversation with two high-profile champions on each side of the nuclear debate: Dr. Gordon Edwards, President of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, and Dr. Chris Keefer, President of Canadians for Nuclear Energy.

Light refreshments will be served.

This event will take place in English. Professional French transcriptions available on Zoom livestream.

Event image photo credit: Sean Connors, “Power Beach: Looking East at the Pickering Nuclear Power Plant & Wind Turbine”

Speakers:

Dr. Gordon Edwards is president and co-founder of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, a not-for-profit corporation established in 1975. He is a retired professor of mathematics and science at Vanier College in Montreal. Dr. Edwards has served as a consultant on nuclear issues for governmental and non-governmental bodies for over 45 years. He has been accepted as an expert witness by US and Canadian courts and tribunals, and has cross-examined nuclear experts during provincial Commissions of Inquiry. He is frequently invited to testify before provincial and federal bodies, and to give major addresses in various countries. His curriculum vitae is on-line. He graduated with a gold medal in mathematics and physics from the University of Toronto, obtained two Masters degrees from University of Chicago under a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, then completed his Ph.D. studies at Queen’s University. He conducted a nation-wide study of the role of the Mathematical Sciences in business, government, research and education under the auspices of the Science Council of Canada.

Dr. Chris Keefer is a Toronto based emergency physician and the President of the grassroots non-profit Canadians for Nuclear Energy. He is also the host of the Decouple Podcast which explores the science, technology and politics of the energy transition. Dr. Keefer’s activism extends beyond nuclear energy to issues of indigenous, migrant and refugee health. He co-founded one of Canada’s first seasonal agricultural worker health clinics, worked as a consulting physician for the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture and was the health columnist for Canada’s largest circulating indigenous newspaper, The Two Row Times.

Moderator:

Patricia Fuller is a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. She has extensive experience in international relations and public policy.  She was Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change from 2018 to 2021, leading engagement with international partners and promoting Canadian clean technology. In her foreign service career, she represented Canada as Ambassador to Chile and to Uruguay, and was posted to Mexico and Guatemala. In Ottawa, she was seconded to Natural Resources Canada, where she was head of the Office of Energy Efficiency, and to the Privy Council Office, where she worked on climate change. At Global Affairs Canada, her executive roles included Chief Economist, Director General for Economic Development, and Director of the Softwood Lumber Division. Patricia Fuller holds a MSc. with distinction in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Studies from Queen’s University.

Organized by:

Dr. Ryan M. Katz-Rosene – Associate Professor, School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa and coordinator of the International Political Economy Network (IPEN) at CIPS

Dr. Susan O’Donnell is Adjunct Research Professor in the Environment & Society Program at St. Thomas University in Fredericton.