Private Member’s Bill To Close Loopholes in
Tobacco Law
NDP Member of Parliament responds to youth
demands for an effective crack down on tobacco
marketing.
(Ottawa) Physicians for a Smoke-Free
Canada today welcomed the introduction of a
private member’s bill to strengthen the 2009
“Cracking Down on Tobacco Marketing Aimed at
Youth Act.” On Monday, Halifax MP Megan Leslie
introduced Bill C-631, which amends the Tobacco
Act by banning flavours in smokeless tobacco and
by closing a loophole that has allowed the sale
of flavoured cigarillos to continue.
“A ban on candy-flavoured chewing tobacco is
long overdue,” said Dr. Atul Kapur, president of
Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. “The need
for such a ban should be self-evident, yet in
2009 parliamentarians respected Health Canada’s
request for a year to review the issue before
extending the ban on flavours to smokeless
tobacco. Twenty-one months later, Health
Canada has failed to provide evidence of why
such a ban is not necessary.”
“Legislation to tighten the law with respect to
little cigars is also overdue,” said Dr. Kapur.
“It is now clear that some tobacco companies
have no intention of respecting the spirit of
the law.” C-32 banned flavours in little cigars,
but the definition of little cigar used in the
original law has proved inadequate. Tobacco
companies have continued to sell little cigars
that are very similar to the products that
Parliament tried to ban, modified by changing
the cellulose-style filter into one made from
tobacco.
“This bill is in keeping with the Prime
Minister’s commitment last July to revisit the
law if necessary to ensure the spirit of the law
was protected and to protect ‘Canada’s youth and
children from unscrupulous marketing practices
by the tobacco industry’,” said Dr. Kapur.
“We call on legislators to work with the same
collaborative spirit that was shown to previous
private members’ and government bills’ to ban
flavoured tobacco products.”
Since 2008, legislation introduced to ban
flavours in tobacco products has included Nova
Scotia Bill 159 (2008, Joan Massey, NDP),
Federal Bill C-566 (2008, Judy Wasylycia-Leis,
NDP), Ontario Bill 124 (2008, France Gelinas,
NDP and Dave Levac, Liberal), New Brunswick Bill
C-48 (2009, Hon. Michael Murphy, Liberal),
Federal Bill C-32 (2009, Hon. Loena Aglukkaq,
Conservative). Bills were adopted with all
party support in Ontario, New Brunswick and at
the federal level.
Dr. Kapur praised the young activists who had
sustained the “Flavour… GONE” campaign since
2008 . “These young Canadians have sustained a
long and effective campaign to bring the
concerns of their generation to policy makers.”
For more information:
|