Activists present Cameco with tax payment petition

A group of activists delivered a petition to the head office of Cameco this morning.

The petition, signed by 36,600 people, demands that the uranium mining company pay more than $2 billion in back taxes to the Canadian government.

"We're in an economy in Saskatchewan with a major austerity budget," said petition founder Don Kossick. "We're seeing cuts all over the place. Across Canada, we need clean water in Indigenous communities, and we think that they should pay up."

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At issue is a controversial subsidiary set up by Cameco in Switzerland. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) claims that the subsidiary was created to avoid paying taxes in Canada, something that Cameco refutes.

The petition was also delivered to Justin Trudeau's office on Parliament Hill this morning.

"Canadians want them to pay," said Kossick. "What we don't want is for them to get a deal with CRA, and then pay only half of that. So, we would really appreciate it if they would pay up what they owe.

Cameco will return to tax court in October.