Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is for the Minister of Health. Dr. Hazel Lynn, the medical officer of health for Grey–Bruce, has testified before various government bodies, stating that her health unit has conducted a formal risk assessment of Bruce Power’s plan to transport 16 massive radioactive steam generators across the Great Lakes to Sweden. She claims this assessment shows that this plan is risk-free. Does the Minister of Health support Dr. Lynn’s conclusion that there is no health risk to this widely opposed plan?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: To the Minister of Energy, Speaker.

Hon. Brad Duguid: It’s interesting that the NDP continues to dwell on this particular issue, because it has been raised in the past, and I think we’ve been very straightforward in our response to this in the past. But it is interesting that this week, in the wake of what’s going on in Japan, that the issue would quietly emerge here again.

I don’t want to question their motives on this, and I never would, but let me just repeat: The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has studied this matter in absolute detail. They’ve held public hearings. This is a federal agency that is fully responsible for making decisions on this particular matter. I wrote to my federal colleague on this, and I wrote to Bruce Power as well, making sure that they’re taking every measure to protect the safety of Ontarians. But I asked the leader opposite whether she wrote to anybody on this at all when the hearings were going on, and she—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is actually back to the Minister of Health. Dr. Lynn is using her formal risk assessment to persuade Ontarians that the transport of radioactive steam generators is safe, but there’s a little bit of a problem. When Dr. Lynn refused to provide us with a copy of the actual risk assessment, we submitted a freedom-of-information request, and what did we get back? A speech, a series of emails and a template for what a health risk assessment might look like.

Is the Minister of Health concerned that a local medical officer of health is testifying before government bodies and speaking about this plan when a formal health risk assessment she cites doesn’t even seem to exist?

Hon. Brad Duguid: The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission held public hearings on this, and as I said, I, as Minister of Energy for this province, wrote to Bruce Power and my federal colleagues, impressing on them the importance to ensure that all measures were taken to protect public safety. The leader of the NDP had an opportunity to appear before those hearings. She could have—

Interjections.

Hon. Brad Duguid: If she was really concerned about this when those hearings were going on—it wasn’t that long ago—she could have let her voice be known. Why is it that today, in the wake of what is going on in Japan, the leader of the opposition decides that now she wants to make sure that her voice is heard? I can’t help but think that some of the media were right last week when they suggested that the NDP fascination with nuclear—all of a sudden, again this week—is nothing less than distasteful.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock. Again, I want to remind all members that the use of temperate language in this place is very important. It helps to maintain order and decorum. And any time that we start to bring it below a level that starts to deliver an attack at another member, it is not helpful for the dignity of this House as a whole. I would just ask all members to be conscious of that.

New question.

via Legislative Assembly of Ontario | Debates & Proceedings | Debates (Hansard) | Official Records for 24 March 2011.