I'd like to remind everyone of something.
On page 13 of the brief, we report the findings of Health Canada, which studied the level of toxicity of contraband cigarettes versus legal cigarettes. The findings show that the risks are comparable. Certain retailers have conducted campaigns where posters were put up showing that contraband cigarettes could contain rat excrement, pesticides and all kinds of other stuff. The fact is that almost anything can go into manufactured cigarettes. It's not for nothing that they are lethal. The risks are very similar.
As concerns young people, I might remind you that British American Tobacco indicated in a document that its campaign against contraband tobacco is likely to curb tax hikes and ensure that there is no new regulation. We are told that its work will target four aspects: crime, young people, the closure of convenience stores, and loss of government revenue.
As concerns young people, certain figures have been distorted. The study by the CAMH, which has been mentioned here, shows that 43% of young people in secondary school in Ontario smoke contraband cigarettes. But the authors themselves say that this was a very small sample, that barely 2,000 students were polled and that, of this number, fewer than 200 of them smoked daily. The Statistics Canada study that I just mentioned to you, that is the Youth Smoking Survey, was conducted on 9,000 students in Ontario, and shows that recognized brands of cigarettes are the most popular.