Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau Commits to Ban Asbestos

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced what labor and public health groups have spent years waiting to hear about the nation’s asbestos epidemic. “We’ve actually made the commitment that we are moving forward on a ban,” Trudeau said. “We know that its impact on workers far outweighs any benefits that it might provide.” Trudeau made the comment in response to a trade union leader’s question while speaking at Canada’s Building Trades Union policy conference in Ottawa, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) news agency. While the country no longer exports asbestos, Canada still imports products that contain the deadly fiber, including construction materials and automotive friction materials. Second Federal Initiative Against Asbestos Trudeau’s comments follow an April 1 declaration from Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) prohibiting the use of asbestos products in new construction and renovation of federal buildings. The federal department’s announcement came in response to public outcry in February after CBC revealed PSPC was still using asbestos products to build new government buildings. “We have heard the concerns expressed by Canadians over the continued use of asbestos,” Minister of Public Services and Procurement Judy Foote said in an email to CBC officials. Foote added the agency was in the process of creating an inventory of owned and leased buildings to identify those containi...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: asbestos deaths in canada asbestos exposure in canada canada asbestos ban justin trudeau asbestos ban Source Type: news