THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2009

BRITISH COLUMBIA & YUKON TERRITORY BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL #204 – 4333 Ledger Avenue, Burnaby BC V5G 3T3 Tel: 604-291-9020 Fax: 604-291-9590 Website: wwww.bcbuildingtrades.org E-mail: bcytbctc@bcbuildingtrades.org

NEWS RELEASE Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Building Trades Council demands Liberals explain contradictory position held by Michael Ignatieff with federal Liberal Members of Parliament split on deadly asbestos exports as party convention begins in Vancouver

VANCOUVER – The BC Building Trades Council is demanding federal Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff explain where he stands on the use and Canadian export of deadly asbestos as two Liberal Members of Parliament from BC – both medical doctors – are now calling for a ban on asbestos exports.

Ignatieff has recently flip-flopped on the issue, says Building Trades Executive Director Wayne Peppard, while BC MPs Dr. Keith Martin and Dr. Hedy Fry have both called for Canada to stop exporting asbestos.

Peppard said Ignatieff told a public meeting in Saanich, B.C. on March 28 when asked about asbestos that: “Our export of this dangerous product overseas has got to stop.” And Ignatieff added, when talking about asbestos abatement renovations at the House of Commons in Ottawa: “If asbestos is bad for parliamentarians in the Parliament of Canada, it just has to be bad for everybody else.”

But in a Standing Committee of Natural Resources meeting Tuesday Liberal MPs supported the Conservative government in defeating an amendment by NDP MP Pat Martin that would have ended financial support worth $250,000 for the pro-export lobby group the Asbestos Institute, Peppard said.

And Ban Asbestos Canada activist Kathleen Ruff says reporters told her on April 1 that Ignatieff now denies making the comment at the Saanich meeting.

Peppard said given the strong and positive position taken by Drs. Martin and Fry, Ignatieff should set the record straight and come out against asbestos exports.

“We’ve now got Liberal MPs taking divergent positions on the export of this deadly substance” Peppard said. “Over the next three days federal Liberals will gather in Vancouver to formally install their new leader. Now is the time to bring clarity to the Liberal position on the use and export of this deadly substance. Where does Michael Ignatieff stand? Where does the Liberal Party stand?”

Peppard said Dr. Fry’s position is very clear, as is Dr. Martin’s.

“Canada should cease its exports of asbestos and cease funding the Asbestos Institute (an industry lobby supported by federal taxpayers),” Dr. Fry wrote on April 27 to Dr. Tim Takaro, SFU professor of Health Sciences. And on April 23 Dr. Martin introduced a motion in the House of Commons calling on the government “to ban the sale, installation and export of asbestos.”

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For more information: Call Wayne Peppard at cell 778-388-0014 or 604-291-9020 or Bill Tieleman, West Star Communications, at 604-844-7827 or cell 778-896-0964. Website: www.bcbuildingtrades.org

For further information contact 

the BCYT-BCTC office:  604-291-9020

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