NDP tables private member's bill to ban asbestos in Canada

A New Democrat MP has tabled a private member's bill to ban asbestos in Canada.

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Sheri Benson, the NDP's labour critic, announced the bill at a news conference Wednesday alongside the Canadian Labour Congress.

The bill would prohibit the manufacture, use, sale, offer for sale or import of asbestos and any products containing asbestos.

Canada currently imports construction products and automotive parts that contain the toxic fibre, but no longer exports the material.

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Asbestos is known to cause deadly cancers and lung diseases, and has already been banned in Europe, Australia and Japan. The World Health Organization recommends replacing asbestos with safer substitutes.

About 2,000 Canadians die of asbestos-related diseases every year. Many of those deaths have been linked to asbestos exposure in the workplace.