Why does canada export asbestos

Union activists, who have visited India and other developing countries say, however, that the public relations efforts of the government and the asbestos industry are simply window-dressing to hide the fact that most people who work with the natural mineral fibre risk cancer.

Critics of Canada's asbestos exports say the country is exporting death to protect the profits of a handful of companies and the jobs of 1, miners. Barry Castleman, author of a respected book on the danger of asbestos. At the heart of the issue is Canada's own precarious political situation. All of the asbestos mines in Canada are in Quebec, a predominantly French-speaking province with a separatist government. Federal and provincial politicians are pushing asbestos exports to prove that they are successful at developing overseas markets, and are protective of Quebec workers.

Critics of asbestos exports say the industry would probably be allowed to die if it was centred in any other part of the country. The real costs will be borne by the developing world, she says. Walker just returned from India, where she saw unprotected workers slashing open bags of asbestos fibres. In October , after almost ten years in power, the Conservative government of Stephen Harper was defeated and the Liberal Party of Justin Trudeau took power.

The asbestos industry was now closed down in Quebec, and political and public attitudes in Quebec had completely turned around on the asbestos issue. In June , all four political parties in the Quebec National Assembly supported a motion awarding the medal of the Quebec National Assembly to Kathleen Ruff to honour the campaign that had been carried out to end asbestos mining in Quebec, ban asbestos, and protect the health of workers and Quebec citizens [ 17 ].

In December , the Trudeau federal government announced that it will pass legislation to ban asbestos by and will hold consultations to develop effective regulations and implementation. This required winning the battle of public opinion in Quebec. The campaign was fought in as open and public a way as possible.

Every opportunity was seized to get media coverage and reach the minds and the hearts of the public. The campaign was based on sound scientific evidence, but putting forward evidence in a general way is not sufficient. It was critical to carry out repeated advocacy actions that put a spotlight on concrete, current events that drew public attention, that resonated with Quebec values, and that held those who possessed political and social power publicly accountable.

The asbestos industry and its key supporters, such as Premier Charest and Prime Minister Harper, would likely have never changed. This is the same in most struggles for social justice. The key wrongdoers rarely abandon their vested interests. However, unless it is a dictatorship, the wrongdoers depend on social complicity. Enormous wrongdoing succeeds only when societies permit it by their silence.

Wrongdoing is enabled, in particular, by those who have a responsibility to defend the public good but fail to do so. By turning a blind eye, they hide the wrongdoing. The campaign did not allow leading figures to hide. It challenged them to stop being complicit with wrongdoing and to speak out publicly to condemn the scientific deception and human harm caused by the asbestos industry. Many showed courage and integrity and stopped being complicit. Starting with just a small number—a tiny handful of scientists, just one or two academics, just one political leader, just one union leader, just one journalist—they started a movement that became unstoppable.

Again and again, we see how vested interests—whether asbestos, tobacco, the fossil fuel industry, hazardous chemicals, the sugar industry—distort scientific evidence and corrupt public policy so that it serves industry profits instead of the public good.

Industry lobby groups aggressively attempt to intimidate and silence independent scientists whose work is inconvenient for industry profits. It is essential that scientists not be silenced and fulfill their responsibility to defend scientific integrity and evidence-based public policy.

The asbestos battle in Quebec demonstrates how a determined advocacy campaign involving international solidarity, the scientific community, activists, and asbestos victims succeeded, against all odds, in defeating the asbestos industry and changing public health policy in Quebec and Canada.

As a result, instead of the planned expansion of asbestos mining and export, Canada is now in the process of legislating a ban on the mining, use, and export of asbestos. Instead of being a propagandist for the asbestos industry, Canada is now an ally in efforts to achieve a global asbestos ban. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Published online Sep Kathleen Ruff. Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer.

Received Sep 5; Accepted Sep This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract Less than ten years ago, the asbestos industry enjoyed the support of every Quebec and Canadian political party. Keywords: asbestos trade, asbestos lobby, distortion of science, public health advocacy, international solidarity campaign.

Introduction Until recently, Canada was a major producer, exporter and propagandist for the asbestos industry. Status Analysis 2. Key Stakeholders As stated in the title of a renowned Quebec novel [ 2 ], Canada consists of two solitudes—Quebec and the rest of Canada—each with its own language, history, culture and legal system. To succeed, a campaign had to be launched and won in Quebec. Obstacles that Had to Be Overcome Among the difficult challenges to be addressed were the following: A climate of silence and intimidation existed in Quebec regarding asbestos.

The Battle against the Quebec Asbestos Industry Begins The key power of the Quebec asbestos industry lay in the fact that it had taken control over the scientific message.

Quebec Challenged Internationally In January , scientists around the world wrote to Quebec Premier Charest challenging Quebec to stop mining and exporting asbestos [ 14 ]. Conclusions The asbestos battle in Quebec demonstrates how a determined advocacy campaign involving international solidarity, the scientific community, activists, and asbestos victims succeeded, against all odds, in defeating the asbestos industry and changing public health policy in Quebec and Canada.

Conflicts of Interest The author declares no conflict of interest. References 1. MacLennan H. Two Solitudes. Macmillan Co. Fecteau N. La Tribune. A number of Canadian health and environmental organizations are working to ban Canadian exports of asbestos and lead products.

Read more about their collective efforts at www. Get a free asbestos cancer guide shipped overnight. Get A Free Guide Now. Learn More. More on this Topic. Free Mesothelioma Guide. Address 1 S. Orange Ave. Monthly Newsletter Stay up-to-date on treatment, research, clinical trials, doctors and survivors Sign Up Now. Full Name. Phone Number.

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