Request that Canada ban asbestos 29 September, 2010 29 September 2010 Prime Minister Stephen Harper Government of Canada Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A OA2 CANADA By Facsimile: +1.61.3.941.6900 Dear Prime Minister The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) calls on your government to ban the mining and use of asbestos in Canada with immediate effect. Asbestos was mined in Australia from the 1940s to late 1980s and used in a variety of materials and products. Asbestos mining ceased in Australia more than 20 years ago and a national ban on the mining, use, storage and importation of asbestos came into effect in Australia on 31 December 2003. Implementation of this ban has been positive for employment levels in Australia, with no job loss in production or use and strict regulation governing removal and disposal of asbestos accounting for continuing employment of substantial numbers of skilled workers. Asbestos is a known carcinogen and causes devastating diseases in people, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases, with a latency period measured in decades. Regrettably, the expected peak in the incidence of asbestos-related disease in Australia is still a decade away. With 95% of Canada’s latest annual production of 180,000 metric tonnes being exported, we are concerned by the rising incidence of asbestos-related disease in Canada and in other (especially developing) nations. There is a compelling body of evidence showing that the most efficient way to eliminate asbestos-related disease is to ban its production and use. The use of asbestos is no longer defensible; there can be no ‘controlled uses’ of asbestos! There is no World Trade Organisation impediment to banning asbestos. The ACTU supports the long-standing call by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) for a global ban on asbestos, and the policy adopted by the Canadian Labour Congress calling on the Canadian Government to develop a fair and just transition program in consultation with the social partners to eliminate the production and export of asbestos from Canada. Yours sincerely Ged Kearney President