Canada’s Nuclear Colonialism: Capitalist Realism and the Neoliberal Public Sphere

Abstract

Background: In Canada, actors in industry, government, and civil society have proposed small modular reactors as a technological solution to climate change. Analysis: A quantitative and qualitative content analysis of New Brunswick’s mainstream newspapers indicates a profound bias in favour of perspectives drawn from actors in industry and government. The sources underemphasize the risk profile of small modular reactors, delegitimize criticism, and promote a nuclear realist project tied to the imperatives of neoliberal capitalism and colonialism. Conclusions and implications: Disproportionate coverage of pro-nuclear sources from industry and government thwarts representative public deliberation. Indigenous nations, acting as counterpublics, challenge technocratic, colonial, and neoliberal discourse.