Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to introduce a petition signed by literally thousands of Canadians all across the country who call upon the House of Commons and Parliament assembled to take note that asbestos is the greatest industrial killer that the world has ever known.
The petitioners say that more Canadians now die from asbestos than from all other industrial and occupational causes combined. Yet Canada remains one of the largest producers and exporters of asbestos in the world. They also point out that Canada spends millions of dollars subsidizing the asbestos industry and blocking international efforts to curb its use.
Therefore, these petitioners call upon Parliament to ban asbestos in all of its forms and institute a just transition program for asbestos workers in the communities they live in, and to end all government subsidies of asbestos both in Canada and abroad. They also call upon Parliament to stop blocking international health and safety conventions designed to protect workers from asbestos, such as the Rotterdam Convention.