Prime Minister Stephen Harper could face tough questions about a U.S.-led nuclear initiative at the APEC meeting this week.
A spokesperson for Foreign Affairs has confirmed Canada was invited to join the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) and attend the group's next meeting in Austria later this month.
The American initiative, designed to promote and safeguard the nuclear industry, would require all nuclear fuel be repatriated to the country that exported it for disposal.
As one of the world's largest uranium producers, Canada could face serious issues dealing with the waste produced by nuclear energy.
The federal government is reviewing the proposed GNEP Statement of Principles and a decision will be made shortly, the Prime Minister's Office has said.
The issue is also of interest to Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who heads the world's other leading uranium-exporting country.
Debate over the issue there has been ongoing for over a year, and Australia's foreign affairs minister has suggested the country will participate in the upcoming meeting.
Both Harper and Howard could see the GNEP become a major election issue, but to date, the Canadian government's position on the agreement has been a closely guarded secret.
At a briefing last week, one of the prime minister's most senior officials skirted a question on the GNEP.
"It doesn't feature on the APEC agenda, per se,'' said the official. "Whether the initiative has disappeared off the global agenda or the U.S. agenda, I really can't say.''
But Sandra Buckler, director of communications for the Prime Minister's Office, rejected the premise that the government has been silent on the topic, referring to a news conference when Howard visited Canada last year.
"At the time, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said: 'Australia and Canada, as the two major uranium producers in the world, have considerable interest in whatever the United States and the international community have in mind in terms of future uranium development, production and marketing,'" Buckler wrote in an email to Â鶹´«Ã½.
"(Harper) added that he and Howard had "agreed we're going to collaborate very closely together to make sure Australian and Canadian interests are closely protected while the Americans and others discuss the future of that industry."'
With climate change and energy policy key items on the agenda, and most of the GNEP's supporters in attendance, including the U.S., China, Japan and Russia, the issue will likely be up for discussion.
"This is the kind of subterfuge and hidden agenda that the government has on such an important issue,'' said Liberal MP David McGuinty, the Opposition's environment critic. "It's time for them to come clean on this.''
Bernard Bigras, environment critic for the Bloc Quebecois, noted Ontario and New Brunswick already have issues with dealing with nuclear waste from domestic reactors.
"We have a big problem here in Canada and in the world: how can we manage the waste produced by nuclear (energy)?''
Canadian ministers head to summit
Minister of International Trade David Emerson and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Bernier will attend the APEC Ministerial Meeting in Sydney ahead of Harper's visit.
They will meet with their counterparts to discuss opportunities for cooperation and issues such as WTO negotiations, climate change, energy, regional economic ties and relations, APEC reform and security.
The APEC meeting is seen as a key event for Canada to build relationships with Asian and Latin American economies.
In 2006, nearly 85 per cent ($707 billion) of Canada's international trade was with APEC member countries.
Key themes at this year's conference include "strengthening our community and building a sustainable future."
Climate change debate
This year's focus on climate change has been a controversial topic, as the conference normally deals with economic issues.
But Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has said climate change is on the agenda "because we recognize the fact that climate change is a key economic issue, not just an environmental issue."
Some critics, however, accuse the Australian prime minister of putting climate change on the agenda to improve his own low approval ratings ahead of upcoming elections.
A series of demonstrations are also expected as the conference begins, though early protests against the meeting's pro-business agenda and the Iraq war have been small.
With files from The Canadian Press
