A prominent asbestos merchant is headed to Parliament Hill as part of a broader counter-offensive to salvage the reputation of his beleaguered industry.
Baljit Chadha is fighting back this week after Canada's asbestos sector has absorbed a public-relations pummelling, both here and abroad, in recent months.
The public-relations battle comes at a critical time.
The Quebec government is considering whether to help Mr. Chadha save one of Canada's last two asbestos mines, in the town of Asbestos, with an Oct. 1 deadline looming on a decision.
Mr. Chadha is now determined to dispel what he describes as myths about the contentious mineral, which he argues has been unfairly vilified by a highly organized “anti-asbestos lobby.”
Mr. Chadha plans face-to-face meetings Monday with his most vocal critics, including New Democrat MP Pat Martin.
Afterwards, the Montreal businessman will meet with Rideau Institute president Steven Staples and communicate by teleconference with Kathleen Ruff, a human-rights activist and tireless asbestos foe.
These meetings are just the beginning of his pro-asbestos blitz.
He is planning to launch a public-relations campaign that includes a detailed advertisement titled, “What is chrysotile — Asbestos?”
Mr. Chadha said he also hopes to meet with the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Cancer Society and editorial boards of major newspapers.
However, the CMA said in an email Sunday that it has no intention of meeting with Mr. Chadha.
“The CMA's position on asbestos is clear: we are opposed to mining, use and export of asbestos,” it added.
Mr. Chadha promises to be more active in defending trade of a hazardous substance that has been the subject of devastating critiques from sources as diverse as medical doctors to foreign comedy programs in Australia and, in the U.S., with Jon Stewart's Daily Show.
Mr. Chadha rejects the premise that mining the substance, today in Canada, will lead to painful cancer deaths abroad in future decades.
He insists it can be handled safely — even in developing countries, where the bulk of Canadian asbestos exports are shipped.
“We have nothing to hide and we want to change the perception,” Mr. Chadha told The Canadian Press in an interview at his Montreal-area office.
“We have the moral persuasion and consciousness that, yes, we do have a good case and we will give it our best effort possible.”
Industry opponents have long been mobilized, pounding the industry with waves of criticism from health experts, activists and asbestos victims.
Critics of the sector, which include dozens of physicians and several recognized medical associations, have repeatedly urged the Conservative government to halt all mining and exports of the substance. They say it's immoral to export the product to so many poorer countries with inadequate safety standards.
The Harper government has also come under fire for helping to block asbestos from being added to a United Nations international hazardous-chemicals list in June.
Use of the substance, meanwhile, remains regulated in Canada, where millions of dollars have been spent to carefully remove loose asbestos that was stuffed decades ago into homes, schools and even the Parliament buildings.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 100,000 people die around the world every year from asbestos-related disease.
But Mr. Chadha insists that poor practices are a thing of the past and, as with many hazardous materials, significant strides have been made in handling this mineral safely.
“There's a lot of noise... The past and the present are getting all mixed up,” said Mr. Chadha, who's been selling Canadian chrysotile asbestos in India for nearly two decades.
Mr. Chadha has, as ammunition, his long-standing reputation as a businessman, philanthropist and a member of Canada's prestigious Queen's Privy Council.
