Madam Speaker, the people of Thetford Mines and Asbestos have just received some important news. At the conference of Rotterdam Convention member states to be held in Geneva in September 2005, chrysotile fibre will not be included in the list of hazardous substances.
In making this decision, the international community is definitively dissociating chrysotile from other asbestos fibres. It acknowledges that chrysotile can be extremely safe when encapsulated in cement, asphalt and plastic.
Finally, it recognizes the scientific value of the recent studies on bio-persistence demonstrating that many products used as substitutes for chrysotile show high levels of toxicity.
Today the chrysotile industry is enjoying new international credibility.
The Canadian government must take its cue from Quebec and implement a policy for promoting the safe use of chrysotile.