Diane Marleau

[Tobacco Products, April 25th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, any campaign that will convince anyone to give up smoking or not to start in the first place is a terrific campaign.

The hon. member mentions the California campaign. That campaign has been particularly effective in discouraging people from smoking. I want to assure the hon. member that any campaign we embark upon will be extremely well focused, well targeted to ensure that we get every bang that we can for our buck.

[Tobacco Products, April 25th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, first I want to say that the ad campaign was effective when it was first implemented. But it is now time to change that campaign. We know how we must spend our money. We are working with the provinces and the anti-smoking groups to ensure that the next campaign will focus on the current problems and on young people, because they are the ones we want to convince to stop smoking or to avoid developing that habit.

[Health Care, April 25th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, specific to that question I answered that this was an American study.

Let me reassure hon. members and all Canadians that even though these studies were not the way they should have been, many other studies have validated the findings. They have been tested and their validity has been looked at, as have all the other problems that have been encountered with the one case in Montreal.

[Health Care, April 25th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, breast cancer has reached epidemic proportions and it has been that way for many years. It is not recent. It concerns me very much that more has not been done for women with breast cancer in terms of research and the outcome of treatment.

In the cases the hon. member is referring to, American dollars went to fund those studies in Canada. The Canadian government did not fund those particular research studies.

As a result of what happened with these cases, I met with the Medical Research Council to assure myself and to speak with them to make sure that we always address these cases as completely and as effectively as possible.

[Health, April 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, let me advise members opposite that while I am reviewing all public relations and publicity I have many tools at my disposal.

I have said that we would look at new ads. Yes, we are going to continue doing some publicity, but it will have to be very tough, very targeted and very effective because we do not have a lot of dollars to spend foolishly. Any dollars that I spend I will spend very wisely.

As a result we are developing a new campaign which I am going to share with members of the anti-smoking lobby as well as provincial governments. We are working together on the campaign to make it as effective as possible.

[Health, April 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question. I must first say that I have indeed inherited the ad campaign you may have seen recently. This campaign was launched by the previous government, and as I travelled across the country, I was confirmed in my personal opinion. When I first saw this ad campaign, I was not convinced that it suited the present situation, as it had been devised three or four years ago. Young people have confirmed that I was right all along.

I have asked my department to review all the ads-and that is what we are doing right now-to ensure that every dollar spent on publicity is spent as wisely as possible.

[Tobacco Products, April 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell the hon. member that no legislation has been drafted at this time. I must add that when I met with provincial ministers of health there was a great deal of interest on their part to look into the matter of plain packaging. It is not just the federal jurisdiction that is interested in doing some work in that area. We will continue this as I truly believe that plain packaging will

have an effect in influencing young people not to take up this habit.

[Tobacco Products, April 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question.

In January 1994 the Canadian Cancer Society released a report "The Effects of Smoking on Young People". This report concluded that it would discourage young people from taking up this terrible habit of smoking.

In February 1994 when we released our anti-smuggling strategy, the Prime Minister announced in the House that we would look at the issue of plain packaging. The Standing Committee on Health is looking at that at this time. I await with great anxiety and I am anxious to hear the results of what the committee is doing. I am sure it will have some very valuable information to give to all of us.

In the meantime, I have asked the Department of Health to undertake a research project, a very specific marketing project, to look into allegations that it would discourage young people from smoking. As the member knows, if we can prevent just one death it is very worthwhile. In this case every year 38,000 Canadians die as a direct result of smoking.

[Tobacco Products, April 18th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member raises an issue of concern to all Canadians.

All Canadians have a right to know what is included in the tobacco products they smoke, what goes into their lungs and what goes into the atmosphere around them.

I am determined to bring all pressures to bear on Canadian companies to also disclose the list of ingredients which are included in their tobacco products. If they do not then Canadians can take it for granted that the 599 ingredients listed in the U.S. are perhaps those that are included in Canadian cigarettes.

[Tainted Blood Inquiry, March 23rd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, we are still reviewing the request today. We will make an announcement once we have made a final decision.