ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the status of nuclear power in the United States and Canada, outlines the nuclear histories of the continental neighbours. It suggests the role that contrasts in those histories may have played in bringing the two nations to somewhat different positions on the nuclear question. The chapter discusses two other factors that may be even more decisive: the level of confidence in government and the perception of the potential role of nuclear power in regional and national energy economics. Opposition to nuclear power in Canada has been expressed mainly through the political system. The political status of nuclear power in Canada differs from that in the United States. It may differ in part because of different systems of regulation that reflect different traditions of government and different levels of trust in government. National concensus is not required to move the nuclear program forward in Canada.
