Canada's National Reports to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management

• What is the Joint Convention?
• Benefits to ratifying the Joint Convention
• Joint Convention review meetings
• National reports to the Joint Convention
• Contributors to Canada’s Joint Convention reports

What is the Joint Convention?

The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Joint Convention) is an international agreement governing all aspects of spent fuel and radioactive waste management.

The Joint Convention is the first legally binding international treaty on safety in these areas. It represents the participating countries’ commitment to achieving and maintaining a consistently high level of safety in the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, as part of the global safety regime for ensuring the protection of people and the environment.

The Joint Convention’s objectives are to:

• achieve and maintain a high level of safety in spent fuel and radioactive waste management
• protect individuals, society and the environment from ionizing radiation
• prevent accidents and, if necessary, mitigate their consequences

Benefits to ratifying the Joint Convention

Participating in the Joint Convention process allows Canada to perform a structured self-assessment of the appropriateness of its adopted safety measures for spent fuel and radioactive waste management. It provides an international forum for cooperation and experience-sharing for regulators, government agencies, and industry. It also provides opportunities to learn about international decommissioning experience and the status of waste repositories in various countries. In addition, through the publication of Canada’s national reports, Canadians can stay informed about our country’s arrangements for spent fuel and radioactive waste management and be assured that these arrangements comply with international agreements.

Joint Convention review meetings

The Joint Convention encourages Contracting Parties to report, and to promote open and transparent discussions, on the safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste management. The mechanism for achieving these objectives is a peer review of national programs for spent fuel and radioactive waste management. The Joint Convention calls for a review meeting to be held at least once every three years. The Contracting Parties participating in the Joint Convention are required to submit a national report at each review meeting, demonstrating the measures they have taken to implement their obligations under the agreement. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) publishes summary reports (which include the outcomes of review meetings), on their website.

On March 27, 2024, CNSC acting CEO Ramzi Jammal was elected by consensus as President of the Eighth Review Meeting of the Joint Convention.  

As President, Mr. Jammal aims to achieve 4 main objectives over his 2024–27 term: 

• raise awareness of the importance of the Joint Convention to increase signatories
• increase participation in the Joint Convention by underrepresented and emerging nuclear nations
• introduce new and support current improvements to the national reporting and peer review processes
• facilitate participation, especially by Contracting Parties with minimal resources

This appointment provides Canada with the historic opportunity to lead the Joint Convention for the first time. As one of the first countries to ratify the Joint Convention in 2001, Canada embodies a long legacy of excellence, leadership, and unwavering commitment to world-class safety standards for managing spent fuel and radioactive waste.

National reports to the Joint Convention

Canada’s national reports are published together with responses to questions received from other Contracting Parties. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), the country’s independent nuclear regulator, submits these documents on behalf of Canada.

Fifth report

• Fifth Canadian National Report for the Joint Convention – October 2014 (PDF)
• Responses to questions presented to Canada – May 2015 (PDF)

Fourth report

• Fourth Canadian National Report for the Joint Convention – October 2011 (PDF)
• Responses to questions presented to Canada – May 2012 (PDF)

Third report

• Third Canadian National Report for the Joint Convention – October 2008 (PDF)
• Responses to questions presented to Canada – April 2009 (PDF)

Second report

• Second Canadian National Report for the Joint Convention – October 2005 (PDF)
• Responses to questions presented to Canada – April 2006 (PDF)

First report

• First Canadian National Report for the Joint Convention – May 2003 (PDF)

Contributors to Canada’s Joint Convention reports

Canada was one of the first countries to ratify the Joint Convention, which came into force on June 18, 2001.

The CNSC regulates the safe management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, and is responsible for coordinating the national reports for the IAEA review meetings.

These reports, however, represent a collective work, and involve the cooperation of various federal departments, as well as input from licensees and industry organizations.

The following organizations contribute to the writing and review of these documents:

Federal departments and agencies

• Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
• Natural Resources Canada

Industry organizations

• Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
• Ontario Power Generation
• Canadian Nuclear Laboratories
• Nuclear Waste Management Organization
• Hydro-Québec
• New Brunswick Power
• AREVA
• Cameco
• Nordion
• EnergySolutions (Canada)

Additional information

• Articles of the Joint Convention (source: IAEA)
• Rules of Procedure and Financial rules (source: IAEA)
• Guidelines regarding the Review Process (source: IAEA)
• Guidelines regarding the Form and Structure of National Reports (source: IAEA)
• Joint Convention brochure

Related links

• Radioactive waste