17:45 - 19:30, No.2 Conference Room
Workshop F
Victims and Support Organizations
Chairs: Kazunori Uekusa and Kyla Sentes
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Kyla Sentes
Ban Asbestos Canada (BAC), Canada
ABSTRACT:
2003 saw the creation of a new national organization dedicated to banning the production, use, and export of asbestos: Ban Asbestos Canada. While this represented a significant achievement for Canadian victims and activists, the road ahead is long. The political economy of asbestos in Canada is complex and the pro-asbestos lobby has entrenched itself at both the federal and provincial levels. As such, the strategies for BAC must address myriad issues in order to be effective: the regionalization of the asbestos industry in Canada; Quebec nationalism; divisions within the labour movement; disparities between provincial compensation systems; and the coordination of actions. However, despite these obstacles, response from the public at large has been overwhelmingly positive and momentum is high to achieve a global ban on asbestos.