WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2023) The Canadian government is updating its emergency protocols over concerns about a possible tactical nuclear exchange in Europe or a power plant explosion in the Ukraine conflict zone, CTV news reported on Wednesday.
Ottawa is reviewing its nuclear fallout emergency protocols due to the Ukraine conflict, the report said citing Internal Public Safety Canada notes obtained through the Access to Information Act.
Canada fears that Russia's ongoing special military operation in Ukraine could lead to a tactical nuclear exchange between Moscow and European states, or to an incident at a power plant that would spread radiation throughout the continent and across the Atlantic Ocean, the report added.
Steps are being taken to update the highly secretive protocol that would ensure the survival of Canada's Federal government and its proper functioning if a major crisis was to unfold, notably by relocating the key institutions outside of Ottawa.
Moreover, the report added that Ottawa was finalizing a protocol to inform Canadians of a ballistic missile strike targeting the country, and another for addressing a major surge in requests for consular assistance in the event of a power plant disaster.
The notes were reportedly made for a meeting of senior emergency management bureaucrats that was held in August 2022, over concerns that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) could be damaged by shelling, causing a radioactive disaster.
