Health committee  Contraband is clearly an important problem. We've had recommendations to have measures to prevent contraband. I don't accept Imperial Tobacco's argument that the warnings would lead to an increase in contraband. The problem is one of a source of supply. It's interesting that

Health committee  Ideally you'd see a new set of warnings every two years or so, or some period in that range. There's not a straight answer, because different consumers respond differently. There're always new young people coming along and new Canadians exposed to them for the first time. As well

Health committee  There have been studies done by Health Canada on adults and youth and research by the Canadian Cancer Society on adults and youth, and the findings are that the bigger size is more effective than the smaller size. We know that the cigarette package is a mini-billboard that walks

Health committee  I don't have youth trend data from other countries at my fingertips, but I do know that there has been progress in other countries that have introduced these labels in terms of reduction in youth smoking. New Zealand is another example, apart from countries I've already mentioned

Health committee  Bill C-32, which was studied by this committee and passed by Parliament, prohibits flavoured little cigars. Prior to the passing of the bill, we noticed a strong increase in the sales of cigarillos in chocolate, mint, peach, vanilla and raspberry flavours, which were very popular

Health committee  We did participate in terms of consultations, and I believe that our input, and that of other health organizations, was considered. It doesn't mean that everything was taken on board, but it was actively considered, and in many cases changes were made.

Health committee  I think the existing picture warnings have had an effect in reducing smoking among adults and youth. The picture warnings that we're going to see as part of these regulations reduce tobacco use, increase awareness of the health effects, and reduce package deception. The package a

Health committee  In Australia there's very good evidence with respect to the success of their picture warnings. There is an international tobacco control study that measures the impact in different countries. Another example is Thailand. When they increased their size and used pictures in particu

Health committee  Today, about 2% to 5% of products include the word “light” or “mild” in their name. There are also issues associated with the colours on cigarette packs. Who uses them? It is somewhat misleading. Some companies have used substitute words. That will not eliminate the misleading e

Health committee  I think they have an impact on adults and young people. Many young people are trying to stop smoking. It is difficult for teenagers to reach that goal. Young people are affected by the misleading message of “light” or “mild” cigarettes. Therefore, the regulation will have a posit

Health committee  We now know that those figures are misleading because smoking machines were used to obtain the results. Humans don't smoke like the smoking machines used in the tests do. Removing those figures is the current international trend. We see that happening more and more in many count

Health committee  We can still request that companies conduct tests. They're still obligated to send test results to Health Canada. However, the amendments will eliminate the misleading information currently found on packaging. Companies can still conduct tests, but the information provided on the

Health committee  I was involved through the Canadian Cancer Society. They and other health organizations were actively consulted during the regulatory development process. I know that tobacco manufacturers were also consulted as part of that process, which is Health Canada's approach. I believe t

Health committee  I think that taken as a whole, the regulations are outstanding. The 75% size is especially important for improving the impact. The images are far better, as a whole, than the current images on packages. There's been improvement. There's been learning. It's always possible to iden

Health committee  There's enormous evidence. Of course, in 2000 this committee received considerable evidence, commissioned by Health Canada, that was available otherwise in Canada or internationally. Since then, Canada being the first country to acquire picture warnings, there are now more than 4