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Press Release May 29, 2015
Canadian Coalition for Action on Tobacco
A call to modernize and strengthen Canada’s national
tobacco control strategy. On the occasion of World No Tobacco
Day on May 31, health organizations have called upon the
federal government to set a bold new course to drive
down tobacco use more quickly. “There is no doubt that Canada has
made significant progress against tobacco use; we need
to continue this work in earnest, there is so much more
that needs to be done,” said Ms Lesley James, senior
health policy analyst at Heart and Stroke Foundation.
“And it is clear that the progress achieved has taken
far too long and that far too much death and disease has
occurred to get where we are. Tobacco use continues to
be the leading preventable cause of death in Canada. We
need to ramp up efforts and get the job done.” “In the past, the federal
government was seen as a global leader in tobacco
control. Canada once led the way with innovative public
measures to reduce smoking but now is not keeping pace
with global progress on key initiatives,” said Dr. Atul
Kapur, president of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada.
“With the current federal tobacco control strategy soon
to expire, there is an opportunity to take a leadership
role again and adopt a new, more robust and revitalized
approach.” “Other governments are moving
forward with plain and standardized packaging
requirements, banning flavours including menthol, and
exploring bold new approaches,” said Ms. Lorraine Fry,
Executive Director of the Non-Smokers’ Rights
Association. Among the 34 OECD nations, five countries
have brought forward legislation to require plain
packaging of tobacco products and four have set target
dates to achieve significant reductions in smoking. The
United States federal tobacco control budget, on a per
capita basis, is more than double Health Canada’s
tobacco control budget. The US recovers annually the
full cost of the FDA’s tobacco strategy from the tobacco
industry, and is developing a research basis for new
areas of regulation. Major health authorities, including
the U.S. Surgeon General, have identified the need for
new ‘end-game’ approaches, she added “Tobacco use remains a challenge
for Canada’s health system and for the economic and
physical well-being of our communities” explained Dr.
Chris Simpson, president of the Canadian Medical
Association. Health authorities widely acknowledge that
tobacco use is responsible for more deaths and economic
loss than other drugs or consumed products. Health
Canada estimates the annual economic cost of tobacco use
at $17 billion. “The first generation to grow up
under the protection of the 1997 federal
Tobacco Act
is now reaching adulthood,” said Mr. Michael Perley,
director of the Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco.
“Unfortunately, even if this legislation has contributed
to significant progress, fully 18% of youth aged 18-19
are current smokers. Young Canadians deserve first class
protection from the marketing of the tobacco industry.
Having almost one in five of our youth entering a deadly
addiction by the time they reach adulthood is not a
situation we should accept.” He explained that the legal and
policy framework behind Canada’s approach to tobacco
control is now more than 18 years old and needs to be
updated to respond to new challenges. When the current
Tobacco Act
was adopted, electronic cigarettes, widespread flavoured
products, and stealth marketing were not part of the
market as they are now. “Teenagers are increasingly being
introduced to tobacco use through new products over
which there is inadequate government control,” said Dr.
Geneviève Bois, spokesperson for the Coalition
québécoise pour le contrôle du tabac. “The threats posed
by starter products like hookah/waterpipes and flavoured
tobacco, as well as novelty products and new packaging
techniques were not anticipated by those who designed
the current federal law.” “I and many other health advocates across the country, envision a Canada where tobacco use is no longer the leading cause of preventable death and disability. Strategic action is needed to reduce the number of people smoking in Canada,” says Margaret Bernhardt-Lowdon, a tobacco issues spokesperson for the Lung Association. In March, the House of Commons Health Committee called on the government to establish a new regulatory framework to regulate electronic cigarettes. "This is an opportunity for the
federal government to respond with a commitment to
develop a modernized and strengthened federal tobacco
control strategy with a long term vision, innovative
policy measures and directed towards appropriately
ambitious health objectives.” The Canadian Coalition for Action
on Tobacco is a national coalition of health
organizations. Members supporting this initiative
include: Action on Smoking and Health (Alberta), the
Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Medical
Association, the Canadian Council for Tobacco Control,
the Coalition québécoise pour le contrôle du tabac, the
Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Lung Association, the
Non-Smokers' Rights Association, the Ontario Campaign
for Action on Tobacco and Physicians for a Smoke-Free
Canada.
Contacts:
Dominique Jolicoeur,
Geneviève Bois, Lesley James, Lorraine Fry, Michael Perley, Cynthia Callard, The Lung Association, 613 569-6411 x 252 |
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