OTTAWA - The
Green Party is reiterating its call for Canada’s government to step out
of the way of chrysotile asbestos being listed as a hazardous substance
under the United Nations Rotterdam Convention. The Convention meets in
Geneva starting Monday and the world waits to see if Canada will once
again block the listing, as we have done for the past 30 years.
“The
Green Party was the first party in Canada to call for banning asbestos,
and we will continue this fight on behalf of all those who have
suffered because of this hazardous substance,” said Green Leader
Elizabeth May. “Listing asbestos as hazardous under the Convention does
not mean we stop selling it. It only means we have a duty to provide
prior informed consent to importing countries so that they are made
aware of the risks. Canada has been against that under both Liberal and
Conservative governments.”
Canada
is one of the world's main exporters of chrysotile, the type of
asbestos fibre mined in Quebec, even though it is no longer used
domestically because of its dangerous carcinogenic properties. The
World Health Organization cites asbestos as responsible for over 90,000
deaths annually. The Rotterdam Convention regulates international trade
in dangerous substances and was introduced to protect developing
countries from hazardous imports.
“Canada’s
continued role as an exporter of this cancer-causing substance is
shameful,” said May. “What is needed is a fair transition strategy for
asbestos miners in Quebec so that we can phase out this toxic industry.”
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