Health committee  Thank you, Madam Chair, for the question and the opportunity to respond. We are very cognizant of this issue and the presentations that were made previously by different organizations to the committee. Upon further consideration, the department's position remains as it was when

Health committee  I would refer to the handout we provided at the last committee appearance, particularly figure 2. It showed, if this amendment were to move forward, the types of products that would continue to be allowed in the marketplace that have a wide range of flavours, from chocolate to ot

Health committee  The general objective of this is prevention with respect to youth. This is a bill designed for the protection of youth, and therefore the flavours we are targeting, in cigarettes, tend to be all flavours. We acknowledge that there are a number of large cigars that have some of th

Health committee  We're after the blunts flavoured with chocolate, banana, strawberry, and peach. As you've heard from the industry, these sweeteners are sometimes added, particularly to cigarettes, to make them less harsh. When you're experimenting, as youth often are, if there is less harshness

Health committee  I would note that the federal government is not the only jurisdiction that has established that weight of 1.4 g. There are provincial jurisdictions that have the identical weight. We acknowledge that this is a point of debate, but it's worth noting that Ontario has recently broug

Health committee  We believe we have legitimate policy objectives and that we are not introducing barriers to trade. We believe we are advancing legitimate policy objectives in this country, not barriers to trade.

Health committee  I'm happy to start with that, Madam Chair. I think what my colleague was attempting to communicate, and I will reiterate, is that what is in figure 2 are those things that--as we interpret that amendment--are without the filter and would comply with the definition that has been

Health committee  Thank you, Madam Chair, for the member's question. Before responding directly to that question, I'd like to add to comments you made about consultation. While I acknowledged that there were some differences, I had also intended to indicate that we did reach out to industry and w

Health committee  We understand the question, so there will be some....

Health committee  Thank you for the question. The short answer to that with respect to incremental resources is yes. If that amendment were to pass, the department would be in a position, as are others within that, so we are prepared to deal with that. The concern we would have is that the data t

Health committee  Unfortunately, Madam Chair, the witness's proposal does present some problems for the department, in particular as far as weight criteria are concerned, because it could create a loophole for other products. We can show you some images to give you an idea of the impact of such a

Health committee  My apologies. I am struggling with how to frame a response....

Health committee  With respect to the question on a concept that has been introduced--harm reduction in this particular product class and area--I do not feel equipped today to make any kind of informed comment with respect to that. It would be my own personal opinion. I would turn to my colleague

Health committee  Thank you for the question. I am not sure if our handouts have made their way around. As I said earlier, our concern is that they would essentially create loopholes that would allow a number of products to continue to exist as we move forward, particularly with regard to the wei

Health committee  Madam Chair, I would like to thank Mr. Malo for his question. As Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for developing policies and strategies to meet the challenges facing our country, I have complete confidence in our survey and in our research approach. It represents a sound w