Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

The outrage (II)

by Aaron Wherry on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 6:38pm - 11 Comments

The president of the Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine testifies on the Hill.

“The announcement last month of the prolonged shutdown of the NRU reactor is a real catastrophe for the two million nuclear medicine patients in Canada but also for the credibility of the Canadian nuclear technology industry,” CNMA president Dr. Jean-Luc Urbain said. “The chronic and acute shortage of medical isotopes is neither a funny nor sexy story. It is a real drama that we have to live with our patients on a daily basis. If those statements were made, I think they are irresponsible.”

Tags: Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine, chalk river, Jean-Luc Urbain, Lisa Raitt

More by Aaron Wherry

http://intensedebate.com/people/Jack_Mitchell Jack_Mitchell

The irony is that Raitt is one of the better ministers. I suppose it's all relative.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

Unfortunately, for her, this government has zero capital in terms of sympathy or understanding the odd misstep. From the day Harper assumed the leadership, they've been merciless with the other parties, pathologically unable to admit mistakes, antagonistic toward the press, and generally contemptuous toward the very office they aspired to and eventually won. It's a shame, because we need good ministers. But it's hard to cut them any slack.
http://intensedebate.com/people/ottawasteph ottawasteph

That's exactly how PMSH feels. She's one of the better ministers at sticking to the plan:

1. Always deny
2. Never apologize
3. Blame someone else.

Relatively speaking, Raitt's a superstar!
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/ottawasteph ottawasteph

That's exactly how PMSH feels. She's one of the better ministers at sticking to the plan:

1. Always deny
2. Never apologize
3. Blame someone else

Relatively speaking, Raitt's a superstar!
http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

Is Ms. Raitt really considered "one of the better ministers"? I'm not sure I agree. In terms of actual ministerial influence, is she even in the top ten?
Jenn

I certainly had thought so, Jack. But she sure is good at blaming others, a trait I don't find attractive (or sexy). Really, I don't think she should have to go, although I'm less sure of that every hour, mostly because, good lord, think of the people left on the bench they'd have to choose from for cabinet!

herringchoker

Actually to me the outrage is that we are still producing half the world's medical isotopes using a reactor that requires vacuum tubes for its control room.

For the record we used to have a TV that required vacuum tubes, but my parents replaced it in 1973.
CanadianInDC

The maddening thing is, and trying to be real and fair but I'm still someone totally unhappy with the current government…this just makes people who don't follow politics and who don't have a somewhat idealistic impression of what good government is capable of, it just makes everyone sick of politics and politicians and government. Why should they give anyone a chance if this is the crap we see day after day?

http://intensedebate.com/people/Thwim Thwim

Uh oh! Somebody mobilize the conservative response team, this guy has figured out the plan!

http://intensedebate.com/people/sea_n_mountains sea_n_mountains

While I am sure there is a conbot lined up to let us all know why this dude is an opposition hack, I can easily imagine how pissed the people that take this issue very seriously and who are working to try to ameliorate it – in addition to those, and the families of those, who have cancer – must be irrate over this.
avens

Something is brewing, the Government is using this story to slide in something equally unpopular.