Asbestos in Québec

Quebec's struggling asbestos industry has been left in an increasingly precarious position as two long-time supporters, the Quebec labour council CSN (Conseil des syndicats nationaux) and the Canadian government, began to change their tune.

Québec. A forest in Australia, a cemetery in India? If Quebeckers felt proud to have an Australian forest named after Québec Premier Jean Charest for his actions to address climate change, how would they feel if, one day, a cemetery in India was named after their Premier to commemorate the victims of Québec asbestos?

The Dominion Newspaper is a cooperative, independent, grass roots publication. A special edition, State of Mine: An Investigation of Canada's Extractive Industries was published in November 2008 and is available online at: www.dominionpaper.ca/issue/55. The online edition features 37 articles on mining issues in Canada and internationally, including articles by MiningWatch Canada's Ramsey Hart and former National Coordinator Joan Kuyek.

Most asbestos mining in Canada takes place in Québec. At its peak Québec had 10 of the 13 asbestos mines in Canada. The Thetford Mines region in Québec is home to most of these mines, the largest being the Jeffrey Mine. In fact, the Jeffrey Mine is the largest open pit asbestos mine in the world.