Canada has never produced a nuclear bomb of its own, but has nevertheless played a major role in the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Yet except for the case of India, the magnitude of Canada’s contribution is not widely appreciated.
With an historian’s attention to all important sources, Ron Finch presents us with a comprehensive review of the subject. Canadians have attempted to sell reactors and uranium to at least twenty-five countries since 1945, many of which are located in parts of the world noted for their political instability. Exporting Danger examines the scope of Canada's export activity, particularly in the Third World as the largest potential market; and, given the obvious risks of proliferation, asks why the Canadian nuclear industry expanded beyond what was required for domestic energy needs.
Ron Finch holds an M.A. degree in history. His thesis was awarded the W.L. Morton Gold Medal in 1984. He lives in Winnipeg.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I. INTRODUCTION: CANADA AS A NUCLEAR POWER
Beginnings
Postwar Expansion
The Transition to Power Reactors
The Canadian Nuclear Program’s Troubled Maturity
The Feds to the Rescue
II. EXPORTING CANADIAN NUCLEAR REACTORS TO THE THIRD WORLD
Taiwan
Argentina
Republic of Korea
Political Fallout
Mexico
Summary of Canadian Reactor Exports to the Third World
III. CANADIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO GLOBAL NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION
Four Types of Proliferation
First Period: Mid-1940s to Early 1970s
Second Period: 1974 to 1976
Summary
IV. URANIUM SALES
Phase One: Original Development and Expansion for War (1930s-1959)
Phase Two: An Uncertain Future (1959-1963)
Phase Three: Federal Stockpiling (1963-1970)
Phase Four: The Uranium Cartel
Phase Five: After the Cartel
V. REVIVING THE SALE OF REACTORS: THE LATE 1980S AND BEYOND
The Decline of the International Non-Proliferation Infrastructure
The Canadian Nuclear Industry’s Internal Review
Romania
Some of the Industry’s Other Self-Perpetuation Projects
Summary of the Post-1976 Period
APPENDICES
I. Federal Government Expenditures Subsidizing Nuclear Energy Research and Development, 1947-1979
II. Major Canadian Export Efforts to First World Countries
III. “Atoms for Peace” and the International Atomic Energy Agency
IV. The Limitations of the Treaty for the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
V. The London Club
VI. A Breakdown of the Canadian Nuclear Establishment
VII. Corporations with Ties to the Uranium Cartel
240 pages, bibliography, appendices
Paperback ISBN: 0-920057-72-1 $14.99
Hardcover ISBN: 0-920057-74-8 $43.99
1986
