Canadian Government is Mostly Concerned with Conceding to Tobacco Lobby Groups Than Aiming Their Eff

The federal government allocated more than $3.6 million in order to modernize health warnings on cigarette packages before deciding to postpone the whole program this year.

The Healthcare Canada documents specifying expenditures on the program, were proposed at a parliamentary meeting investigating why the Conservative government didn’t realized to go through a prolonged program in order to demand tobacco manufacturers to place larger graphic health warnings on cigarette packages.

The great sum of money was spent on public-opinion research, which showed that Canadian smokers didn’t pay attention to the old graphics that were implemented in 2001, that is why more graphic images were needed in order to stop smoking.

Another $496,000 was allocated to the provinces in order to create a national quit line which will be placed on cigarette packages next to health warnings covering 75% of the package up from the present 50 %.

In September the Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq informed ministers that Ottawa would be concentrating on destroying contraband cigarettes. Also Health Canada conducted a meeting with anti-tobacco advocates where they discussed plans on a labelling renewal. Government officials presented models of various graphic pictures and messages which will cover the major part of cigarette package.

All tobacco manufacturers have successively lobbied against bigger health warning on packages, and declared that government should take severe measures against illegal tobacco products.

A health critic William Taggart stated that partial release of documents connected to costs and lobbying presented an evident picture. “This minister postponed the program in May, didn’t tell to any provincial health ministers and ceased consulting everyone. This is an evident sign that this minister and namely this government yielded to pressure from tobacco manufacturers to complete the labelling renewal program, and I think that that is a matter of shame,” Taggart declared at a conference. Nancy Leslie, a health critic from the New Democratic Party, stated “records prove that Aglukkaq took into account the tobacco lobby and not her department's own public-opinion study.

“It seems that this government is mostly concerned with conceding to tobacco lobby groups than aiming their efforts at the health of Canadians. There were various awful studies, time and money that were spent on figuring out how to modernize the labeling so it will work again and they took this issue off the table. Why wouldn't we gain the benefit from this?” said Leslie. Members of parliament will have a chance to ask Health Canada officials, including the chief of tobacco board, about the change in policy on the next parliamentary session.

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