The Nuclear Power GameRonald Babin |
Originally published in 1985, The Nuclear Power Game offers a penetrating historical analysis of the rise of Canada's nuclear energy sector and the political structures that sustained it. At a time when public concern about nuclear safety was mounting globally, Ronald Babin examined how the Canadian nuclear industry continued to receive the lion’s share of public research and development funding, despite widespread uncertainty and opposition. His study reveals how state sponsorship enabled private profit, and how the nuclear project became a vehicle for consolidating a technocratic elite.
Babin argued that this new power bloc—defined by its faith in technological progress and its control over specialized knowledge—had come to shape the trajectory of Canadian development. Yet his account is not without hope. He traces the emergence of a broad-based opposition movement, including ecologists, labour activists, feminists, local organizers, and pacifists, whose ability to forge a common analysis and political strategy could challenge the nuclear establishment’s dominance.
This English translation of L’Option nucléaire is more than a critique of energy policy. It is a study of power, democracy, and the clash between centralized technological regimes and grassroots social movements. As Babin makes clear, the nuclear debate is not only about energy—it is about who decides the future of society.
Dr. Ronald Babin is a researcher in the department of sociology at the Université de Montréal.
Dr. Gordon Edwards teaches mathematics at Vanier College in Montreal and is chairperson of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.
Praise for The Nuclear Power Game
“A careful and lucid analysis of nuclear power and why it deserves our protests." - Kingston Whig-Standard
“A remarkable demonstration of the emergence of technocratic power." - Le Devoir, Montreal
1985; 236 pages, 6 x 9
The Nuclear Power Game Retail Prices
Paperback:
978-0-920057-31-5 $14.99
Hardcover:
978-0-920057-30-8 $43.99
PDF eBook:
978-1-55164-492-9 $11.99