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Asbestos, border security, working moms
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December 10, 2010
Hallelujah Lancet
Hallelujah — that’s how long time opponents of Quebec’s export of asbestos to third world countries are reacting to the Lancet medical journal’s denunciation of the Canadian government’s refusal to forbid it. SFU health researcher Tim Takaro, who spearheaded a national letter writing campaign condemning Quebec’s asbestos exports earlier this year, says: “Canada is an international public health pariah on this issue. The federal government is hiding behind the thin veneer of doubt created by the chrysotile asbestos industry that its product is deadly. The Lancet’s public, research-based criticism makes it that much harder for the government to ignore that exported Canadian asbestos, a potent carcinogen, is killing people in South Asian and Mexico.”
Tim Takaro, 778.782.7186; ttakaro@sfu.ca
Border security backlash
The federal government is preparing for a backlash over the border security agreement it is negotiating with the U.S., suggesting that Canadians may fail to see the need for a perimeter security deal and “underestimate” the security threat to Canada. The plan is expected to be unveiled in January. SFU professor Andre Gerolymatos specializes in security issues and can provide comment on the plan and its reception.
Andre Gerolymatos, 778.782.5597; andre_gerolymatos@sfu.ca
Super mom sinking
SFU sociologist Barbara Mitchell says the results of a new paper she recently presented at a U.S. conference jibe with Stats Canada’s latest finding that more women with children are working. Commenting on the finding that the number of working mothers in families with children under three has more than doubled in the last 30 years, Mitchell says these moms “are feeling squeezed, pulled and prodded. Baby boomer working moms, in particular, are feeling as though they are racing the clock and overwhelmed with combining paid and unpaid work, especially since they’re often dealing with competing generational demands.”
Barbara Mitchell, 778.782.6628; mitchelo@sfu.ca
Hallelujah — that’s how long time opponents of Quebec’s export of asbestos to third world countries are reacting to the Lancet medical journal’s denunciation of the Canadian government’s refusal to forbid it. SFU health researcher Tim Takaro, who spearheaded a national letter writing campaign condemning Quebec’s asbestos exports earlier this year, says: “Canada is an international public health pariah on this issue. The federal government is hiding behind the thin veneer of doubt created by the chrysotile asbestos industry that its product is deadly. The Lancet’s public, research-based criticism makes it that much harder for the government to ignore that exported Canadian asbestos, a potent carcinogen, is killing people in South Asian and Mexico.”
Tim Takaro, 778.782.7186; ttakaro@sfu.ca
Border security backlash
The federal government is preparing for a backlash over the border security agreement it is negotiating with the U.S., suggesting that Canadians may fail to see the need for a perimeter security deal and “underestimate” the security threat to Canada. The plan is expected to be unveiled in January. SFU professor Andre Gerolymatos specializes in security issues and can provide comment on the plan and its reception.
Andre Gerolymatos, 778.782.5597; andre_gerolymatos@sfu.ca
Super mom sinking
SFU sociologist Barbara Mitchell says the results of a new paper she recently presented at a U.S. conference jibe with Stats Canada’s latest finding that more women with children are working. Commenting on the finding that the number of working mothers in families with children under three has more than doubled in the last 30 years, Mitchell says these moms “are feeling squeezed, pulled and prodded. Baby boomer working moms, in particular, are feeling as though they are racing the clock and overwhelmed with combining paid and unpaid work, especially since they’re often dealing with competing generational demands.”
Barbara Mitchell, 778.782.6628; mitchelo@sfu.ca