BTC: Unexpectedly important issue of the week

Asbestos.

The Globe and Mail previews this week’s talks in Rome, while the Ottawa Citizen’s Katie Daubs has completed a four-part series on Canada’s exporting of the stuff and refusal (to date) to participate in an international stand against it. The Post editorial board defends Canada’s position. Don Martin calls it an "international joke."

The discussion within Stephen Harper’s cabinet is probably just as interesting.

At least until it’s shuffled, that cabinet presently includes Public Works Minister Christian Paradis and Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl. The former hails from Thetford Mines and was once president of the Asbestos Chamber of Commerce. The latter is suffering from inoperable lung cancer, caused by exposure to asbestos.