Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by thousands of Canadians who call upon Parliament to note that asbestos is the greatest industrial killer the world has ever known and yet Canada continues to be one of the largest producers and exporters of asbestos in the world. Canada allows asbestos to be used in construction materials, textile products and even children's toys.
The petitioners ask Parliament to note that the United States Senate unanimously passed, on October 4, bill 742, the bill to ban asbestos from that country.
Therefore, the petitioners call upon Parliament to ban asbestos in all its forms, end all government subsidies for asbestos, both in Canada and abroad, and stop blocking international health and safety conventions designed to protect workers from asbestos, such as the Rotterdam Convention.