Canadian Nuclear Boost
SPEA welcomes federal nuclear strategy, a historic vote of confidence for Canadian engineering.
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Canada unveiled its first-ever National Nuclear Energy Strategy on June 22, 2026, committing to up to ten new large-scale reactors and a total build-out that could exceed $100 billion, according to CBC News. Energy Minister Tim Hodgson called it a "new civilian nuclear renaissance" — one built around Canada's homegrown CANDU reactor technology.
The Society of Professional Engineers and Associates (SPEA) quickly praised the plan. SPEA President Mark Chudak called it a "historic vote of confidence in Canadian engineering" and said the CANDU reactor is a "strategic asset that belongs to Canadian workers," GlobeNewswire reported.
Ten New Reactors and Bold Targets by 2040
The 23-page strategy sets hard deadlines. Two new large-scale reactors must be under construction by 2035. At least five more must be planned or under development by 2040. A modernized CANDU design must be ready for deployment by 2030, according to Natural Resources Canada.
The plan also targets Canada's electricity grid doubling in total capacity by 2050. Nuclear currently provides 13% of Canada's electricity, Global News noted. The strategy aims to hold or grow that share even as the grid expands dramatically to meet surging demand from AI data centers and electrification.
CANDU Reactor Is Canada's Sovereign Energy Weapon
The CANDU reactor sits at the heart of the strategy. Unlike most reactor designs, CANDU runs on natural, unenriched uranium. That means Canada does not depend on foreign enrichment supply chains — including Russian ones. SPEA's Chudak said this makes CANDU a technology that "cannot be disrupted by foreign geopolitical shifts."
Canada owns 100% of the intellectual property for CANDU technology, GlobeNewswire reported. The strategy targets entry into at least four new international markets by 2025 — with potential deals in Romania, Poland, and Southeast Asia. Over 15 years, Canada aims to engage 6 to 10 "new entrant" countries seeking clean, secure power.
90,000 Jobs Today, 180,000 Workers Needed by 2050
Canada's nuclear sector already contributes $22 billion a year to GDP and supports 90,000 jobs, Natural Resources Canada reported. The strategy calls for doubling that workforce to more than 180,000 by 2050. SPEA had warned just weeks earlier of a critical shortage of nuclear engineers and pushed for a national training program.
Rebecca Caron, President of the Society of United Professionals, called the plan a "win for workers" — specifically praising the commitment to include unions as partners in training, Canada Newswire reported. New "experiential learning" programs are expected to drive a surge in engineering and trades enrollment across the country.
Critics Warn of $100B Price Tag and Unresolved Hurdles
Not everyone is convinced. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said "an announcement will not build anything" and argued that existing federal laws would still block projects from breaking ground on time, CBC News reported. He accused the Carney government of producing "press releases over power plants."
Environmental groups including the Sierra Club Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation united against proposed regulatory rollbacks meant to speed up approvals. They argue the changes ignore nuclear waste risks and Indigenous land rights. The government must also reconcile its two-year approval target with the Supreme Court-mandated duty to consult Indigenous communities — a potential flashpoint for legal challenges, according to Investment Executive.
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