Asbestos Profile: Canada
The mining of chrysotile asbestos has been a major Canadian industry since the late 19th century. During this time, the sale of 61 million tons of Canadian chrysotile generated C$12,762 billion [see: Canadian Asbestos: The Fallacy of "Controlled Use"]. Although Canadian asbestos mining has now shrunk to a shadow of its former self[The Mystery of Canada's Disappearing Asbestos] , Quebec's asbestos lobbyists continue to exploit a fragile Canadian political federation in order to preserve an industry which has become an almost iconic symbol of regional identity [Canadian Asbestos: A Global Concern; however, see also: And Then there was One]. Canadian asbestos stakeholders were pivotal in blocking efforts by the United Nations to impose minimal regulations on the global chrysotile trade when they led opposition to the inclusion of chrysotile on the Prior Informed Consent list of the Rotterdam Convention [see: Chronological Record of Chrysotile Debate at the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention (COP3), October 2006 and Chrysotile Asbestos: Hazardous to Humans, Deadly to the Rotterdam Convention].
Faced with increasing competition from former Soviet Republics, Brazil and Zimbabwe, the Canadian asbestos industry is only just surviving, increasingly dependent on cash injections from federal and provincial governments [Asbestos Mines Faces Bankruptcy and Breaking Canada's Asbestos Addiction]. Working hand in glove with the Chrysotile Institute, the mouthpiece for the asbestos lobby, Canadian civil servants and agencies promote the export of chrysotile by providing hard cash and soft support such as the use of Canadian embassies to host asbestos industry marketing events [Canada's Asbestos Shame]. The consequences of Canada’s asbestos exports to developing countries are predictable; using this acknowledged carcinogenic substance in conditions which belie belief has caused and is continuing to cause untold hardship to many populations [Canada’s Ugly Secret].
A national epidemic of asbestos-related disease has been long denied by official sources which say that asbestos can be used safely under "controlled conditions" [Canada's Asbestos Legacy – At Home and Abroad, Canadian Asbestos: The Naked Truth, General Motors St. Catharines Cancer Cluster]. And yet, Canada exports in excess of 90% of the asbestos it produces as trade unions and consumers will not work with or buy asbestos products. Unfortunately, the cost to the Canadian population of occupational and environmental asbestos exposure has been high; the levels of asbestos cancer and respiratory disease in Quebec, the location of Canada's remaining chrysotile mines, are amongst the highest in the world [Asbestos Kills Canadians Too!].
In 2003, Ban Asbestos Canada, the country's first asbestos victims' group, added its voice to calls from groups representing labor including the Canadian Autoworkers, the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Canadian Association of University Teachers, for a reversal of the Government's pro-asbestos policy [see: BAC website]. In July 2007, the Canadian Cancer Society issued a statement condemning the continued mining, export and use of asbestos. Throughout 2008 and 2009, home-grown opposition to the Canadian Government's support for the chrysotile industry grew in leaps and bounds [see: Asbestos Uproar in Canada, Canadian Political Leaders Face Increased Heat on Asbestos Issue].
In the run-up to the 4th Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention, 125 of the world's leading medical, scientific and academic authorities appealed to Prime Minister Harper to end the veto on United Nations action on asbestos [Canadians Support Global Asbestos Regulations, Canada How Could You]. In 2009, ban asbestos campaigners marked the 142nd celebration of Canada Day with demonstrations and protests outside of Canadian buildings in many capital cities [Not Everyone Loves Canada].
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Updated October 2009
