Steve West, the president of MDS Nordion, which wholesales the medical isotopes harvested at AECL's Chalk River Lab, is testifying right now at the Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources (#RNNR for Twitterers). Here's an excerpt from his statement:
The reason for the current supply shortage is Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.'s decision to cancel the MAPLE project. The MAPLE reactors are complete and await final commissioning. The MAPLEs have created medical isotopes. The MAPLEs can be and should be brought into full service. We recognize that this requires external expertise and we are urging the Government to reconsider its decision to stop the MAPLE project.
The MAPLE project is Canada's opportunity for medical leadership and scientific innovation. The cancellation of the MAPLE project is a detrimental loss to Canada.
The Government of Canada agreed with AECL's decision to abandon the MAPLEs. It was not a reasonable public policy for Canada or the world. It was the wrong decision. It was wrong for global long-term supply of medical isotopes. It was wrong for the patients who rely on this vital product for the treatment of cancer and heart disease. It was wrong for the future of scientific innovation in Canada. It was a mistake in public policy.
David, I am so grateful for your reporting on this ongoing issue. But I have to say that I'm flummoxed. I would love to see a chat, or an online interview, or something, with someone who could explain what's going on here. In '07/08, this was a crisis. We had to recall parliament, fire a regulator, etc. etc. in order to save thousands of lives.
Now it's a non-event, and it's the time when AECL is under discussion of privatization, and when we get out of the isotope business that we Canadians in many ways pioneered.
What happens to MDS? And what happens to diagnostics and therapies? I wish you or someone else coud walk us through recent history and help us understand how this issue has developed.