Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to table a petition signed by literally thousands of Canadians from coast to coast.
The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to recognize that asbestos is the greatest industrial killer that the world has ever known, yet Canada remains one of the largest producers and exporters of asbestos in the world, dumping nearly 200,000 tonnes of asbestos into third world nations and developing nations. They also call upon the House of Commons to take note that Canada spends millions of dollars subsidizing the asbestos industry and blocking international efforts to curb its use. The petitioners call it “corporate welfare for corporate serial killers”.
Therefore, the petitioners call upon Parliament to ban asbestos in all its forms and institute a just transition program for asbestos workers and the communities in which they live. They also call upon the government to end all subsidies of asbestos both in Canada and abroad and to stop blocking international health and safety conventions designed to protect workers from asbestos and curb its use, such as the Rotterdam convention.