Australian Tasmanian Senator Lisa Singh might have her wish come true, following promises from Quebec’s front-runner in their election to cancel the reinvigoration of Canada’s asbestos industry.
Australians were shocked early in 2012 when Canada’s Liberal government promised to lend over $56 million to the Jeffrey mine in the town of Asbestos in order to export white asbestos, a known carcinogen, to India.
But now, Quebec’s opposition party, the Parti Quebecois, has promised that if elected it will cancel the loan and ensure the Jeffrey asbestos mine remains closed.
Anti-asbestos activists are overjoyed at the news and anti-asbestos lobbies are banding together to rally support for the opposition.
Canada’s politicians have historically supported the mining of asbestos, as their asbestos industry was once the biggest worldwide. However, concern for the health impacts of asbestos exposure, which include developing asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma, have led to global pressure to ban the use and export of asbestos, especially to developing countries such as India, where asbestos safety regulations are lax.
This global pressure came to a head in 2009, when the town of Asbestos which was closed following an international campaign that protested the use of asbestos.
Australian politicians have been urging the Australian government to protest the Quebec government’s decision to grant the loan, but the opposition being tipped to win the next Quebec election, this may no longer be necessary.
