Mr. Speaker, I would like to table a petition signed by thousands of Canadians from all over the country, including many from Kingston, Ontario, in your own riding, Mr. Speaker. The petitioners are calling upon the House of Commons to recognize that asbestos is the greatest industrial killer the world has ever known. In fact, more Canadians die from asbestos now than all other occupational causes combined, yet Canada remains one of the largest producers and exporters of asbestos in the world.
The petitioners also point out that Canada spends millions of dollars subsidizing the asbestos industry and blocking international efforts to curb its use. They call this corporate welfare for corporate serial killers.
The petitioners call upon Canada to ban asbestos in all its forms and introduce a just transition program for asbestos workers in the communities in which they live; to end all government subsidies of asbestos both in Canada and abroad; and for Canada to stop blocking international health and safety conventions designed to protect workers from asbestos, such as the Rotterdam convention.