Saskatchewan Uranium headed to a World Hotspot

(SASKATOON, SASK. – April 16, 2015) In 1970, Canada signed the UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that assured Canadians that our uranium would never be used for weapons production. Today, its widely known that Saskatchewan’s uranium was diverted by India for use in their nuclear weapons production stream. The Harper government’s agreement to supply uranium concentrate to India over the next five years is a dangerous decision because India, Pakistan and China are all involved in escalating nuclear weapons production.

Signing a deal for Saskatchewan’s uranium to be sent to India, a country that has not signed the UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is a highly questionable decision. Canada is undermining one of the most important treaties necessary to prohibit the proliferation of nuclear weapons. India is very active in testing nuclear weapons and historic tensions between India and Pakistan are running high.

“The Aboriginal Affairs Coalition of Saskatchewan is deeply pessimistic about this deal for our province’s uranium. Clearly, we haven’t learned from the lessons of the past, when India used Canadian technology and uranium to make nuclear weapons. Sending uranium to one of the world’s top hotspots is a poor decision that will have consequences for all of us,” said Kim Beaudin, AACS President.

AACS is fully supportive of the Northern Trappers Alliance, which has spoken out against uranium development and the legacy of this industry in northern Saskatchewan. The moral hollowness of the deal with India is highlighted by the fact that there are no clean-up plans in place for the widespread watershed contamination that has brought with it high levels of cancer among our people in northern Saskatchewan.

Aboriginal Affairs Coalition of Saskatchewan is a member of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, which has represented the rights and interests of off-reserve status and non-status Indians and Métis since 1971.

For more Information please contact:

Kim Beaudin, President
Aboriginal Affairs Coalition of Saskatchewan
Email: kimbaacs@yahoo.ca
Telephone: 306-717-1429