Bringing “NU Energy” to Parliament Hill

Tuesday October 25, over 40 members of Canada’s nuclear community descended on Parliament Hill to say YES to nuclear.

Members of North American-Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN) and Women-in-Nuclear (WiN) Canada from several CNA member companies came to the Nation’s Capital to talk to Parliamentarians about the benefits of the Canadian nuclear industry.

Some "young genners" and "WiNners" in front of the Eternal Flame on Parliament Hill.

The “young genners” and “WiNners” held meetings with twenty Parliamentarians from all sides of the House sharing their stories and experiences about working in the nuclear industry. Before the meetings, the participants got to brush up on their communication skills – both verbal and non-verbal.

The first of two professional development sessions, led by professional media specialist, Judith Boyle, focused on how to effectively communicate your core message, respond to different types of questions and preparation for special situations. The second session, led by the Christopher Leadership Course from Toronto, taught participants the importance of soft-skills and getting rid of nervous energy and word-whiskers (like “um” and “you know”).

What did participants say about the communications training?

“Good content, liked interactive nature and preparation for meetings was essential.”

“It was great to learn & practice on the spot. It was great to hear everyone’s comments. Loved her (Judith) questions & way of teaching.”

“This was an excellent crash course to begin feeling comfortable with peers and the future MP meetings.”

“Great practical information. Great to practice what we learned.”

The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Labour with The Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources

Positive Feedback From All

Members of Parliament, Senators, as well as Ministerial staffers and public servants, were happy to speak one-on-one with our groups of 3-4 people. It was a great opportunity for Parliamentarians to talk nuclear from the fresh first-hand perspective of our engineers, environmental officers, emergency management specialists, and those in many other important roles.

At a reception hosted by The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Labour, the Minister encouraged participants to “keep out there and keep talking,” and added:

“When you throw the stereotype out the window and you see that there are women in nuclear and that there are young people choosing to go into the field because it’s a good solid field, it really does turn everything on its head — because we believe in the future of the industry.”

Thank you, Minister Raitt. We agree with you 100%.

What did participants think of NU Energy on the Hill day overall?

“Great initiative and fantastic experience. Thank you!”

“This was a very beneficial professional development opportunity.”

“Overall the meeting with the Parliamentarians was well received and I thought it was a good way to communicate a more genuine message.”

“An amazing experience, one which ignited me not just for one day – but a lasting memory & impression. Such a tremendous opportunity & I consider myself very fortunate.”

“Great opportunity to meet/network with other people in the industry…Overall, it was a great experience, and would recommend it for future years.”

“Great experience, good working teams, nice to have a CNA facilitator.”

A photo-op with the Honourable Lisa Raitt and NA-YGN and WiN members at the NU Energy on Parliament Hill Day reception.

Thank you to all the “young genners” and “WiNners” for participating in NU Energy on Parliament Hill Day and sharing your nuclear passion with Canada’s leaders and policy makers. Thank you to CNA members Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd, Ontario Power Generation, Bruce Power, Candu Energy, Cameco, AMEC and Kinectrics for sending your best and brightest to Ottawa to represent the Canadian nuclear community on the Hill.

Additional Links

Read the WiN-Canada blog post about NU Energy on the Hill day: http://www.wincanada.org/blog/archives/communicating-effectively/

View photos from the day on the TalkNUclear Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.266806023356864.58401.177709632266504&type=3

Download the hi-res versions from NU Energy on the Hill day:
https://picasaweb.google.com/110081413710144241988/NUEnergyOnParliamentHillOctober24252011