Mr. Speaker, the residents of Asbestos have been fighting since September to save their mine and their town.
On Wednesday, close to 3,000 people, or half of the population, took part in a solidarity march.
Today, we are celebrating the temporary reopening of our mine. Thanks to the tenacity of our people, particularly Bernard Coulombe, and thanks also to NASA's space program, the town of Asbestos is breathing a little easier.
But this is no guarantee for the future. The federal government must get involved in a program for our older workers, in maintaining the mining company and getting it back on its feet, in diversifying the economy of the town of Asbestos, and in a real policy promoting the use of asbestos.
The town of Asbestos wants to live and so it shall.