Thank you.
Kenneth, I very much appreciate the work your organization does and I thank you for your presentation.
You expressed concern about the elimination of funding on a program that you well know doesn't work and hasn't worked. I accept your point that there needs to be another program put in place, but I would make the point, and I hope you would agree, that as long as first nations communities rely on deep discount smoke sales and contraband cigarette sales to generate revenue, it's going to be pretty darn hard to convince first nations people not to smoke.
One the problems we faced in Manitoba recently was a piece of legislation that the provincial government passed that exempted first nations communities from its smoking ban. A court challenge ensued and the court ruled that it did not meet charter challenges.
I just want you to go on record, and I sincerely hope you will, as supporting a smoking ban across the jurisdictions of this country that applies equally on first nations communities as it does elsewhere. Would your organization support that?