Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am very sympathetic to all of the arguments made by our colleague Mr. Davies. They are of real concern and they align strongly with my values, my principles and my positions.
Again, I object to the approach taken here.
I received a letter this evening. I had told you that it came from the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, but it was signed by several groups.
I want to take the time to read it to you so it can contribute to our consideration. I reiterate: I object to the process. I will not have the time needed to hear all the experts and reach a considered decision, because the government should have dealt with the subject in a separate bill so we have the time to do things properly.
I am going to read you this letter, which was sent to me as my party's finance critic and to my colleague Luc Thériault, health critic and vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Health.
The groups that signed the letter are the Quebec Lung Association, the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, the Quebec Council on Tobacco and Health, the Heart and Lung Foundation, and the Canadian Cancer Society. Its purpose is to support clauses 322 to 333 of Bill C-69, so it could not be clearer. I will begin reading it.
We hereby wish to express our firm support for enacting clauses 322 to 333 of Bill C‑69 amending the Food Drugs Act. These provisions are crucial for protecting Canadian youth against new tactics being used by the tobacco industry, which could make nicotine products popular among young people. The shameless marketing by Imperial Tobacco of new flavoured nicotine pouches (“Zonnic”) last fall exposes major weaknesses in the present rules governing nicotine replacement therapies that are authorized as natural health products. Unlike the historical marketing of NRTs, Imperial promoted its “Zonnic” brand in a way that makes these pouches attractive to young people, in particular by using images of trendy young people in social contexts, catchy slogans and exotic flavours (such as “tropical breeze”), in candy-like packaging. Unsurprisingly, a number of organizations have observed that young Canadians are interested in this new product. They include the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec which stated in January that “in pharmacies where they are floor stocked, they seem to be very popular, particularly among younger people.” That is what prompted the Ordre to recommend that all pharmacists operating in the province keep these products behind the counter. A few weeks later, the Government of British Columbia stepped in to limit behind-the-counter sales to pharmacies. The other provinces are leaving it to the federal government to establish guidelines for the sale and promotion of these types of nicotine products and at present, the federal legislation governing tobacco products and vaping products has no power to regulate nicotine pouches, like most new (and future) products containing nicotine that the cigarette manufacturers are working on. That is why we want to point out to you and the members of your party how advisable and how urgent it is for it to be able to protect young people against products like these. In fact, it is important to prevent any industry that manufactures over-the-counter nicotine products from starting a new wave of nicotine dependence as vaping did among young people, which would be a complete public health fiasco. This youth health disaster is the direct result of far too permissive initial oversight. A tobacco manufacturer marketing “Zonnic” pouches (supposedly intended for quitting smoking) through convenience stores—except in Quebec—changes things and calls for urgent action by the Minister of Health. The proposed amendments would enable the minister to prevent the tobacco industry from exploiting the various loopholes in the regulatory scheme for natural health products.
In its present version, clauses 322 to 333 of Bill C-69 let the federal Minister of Health step in quickly to regulate the sale, promotion and flavouring of nicotine pouches and other nicotine replacement therapies, or NRTs, to prevent undesirable use of these pouches that could harm users' health. An example is use by individuals who are neither smokers nor vapers but for whom the marketing kindled their curiosity about trying them recreationally. It is important to note that the ministerial powers introduced by C‑69, in clauses 322 to 333, do not operate to remove any natural health products from the market; rather, they allow the Minister of Health to introduce guidelines for the sale of products where the marketing of the products involves health-related issues and concerns. In those cases, sale in general would be allowed, but be conditional on compliance with certain criteria for which there would be consultations. In the cases that concern us, nicotine pouches and other natural health nicotine products that might emerge, these amendments represent an appropriate proactive mechanism for better oversight of products that create one of the most powerful dependences in the world, in addition to other risks to physical and mental health, particularly in young people. To conclude, as a health group that has fought against smoking and nicotine dependence for decades, particularly among youth, we urge you to support these amendments, which solidify the existing measures in Quebec and extend them to the other provinces. Sincerely …
The letter is signed by the groups.
Mr. Chair, I have taken up a lot of time reading the letter in its entirety. It is a letter signed by groups that promote health and oppose tobacco use, in which they use very strong language. As I said, I did not have time to hear every party with an interest in the division we are considering—that would have enabled me to reach a clear conclusion—because of the way the government has gone about it, to which I object. This is not the right approach; it is not the right way to do things.
Mr. Davies raised a lot of very important and very strong arguments and asked a number of questions about the minister's extended powers. This is a matter of considerable concern. Personally, I have to decide among the various points made by the various witnesses, the arguments made by Mr. Davies, and, I imagine, the ones Mr. Turnbull will be making. As well, I also have this letter, which contains some powerful arguments. Since I am not an expert in the matter, I choose to base my judgment on the associations I trust: the Quebec Lung Association, the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, the Quebec Council on Tobacco and Health, the Heart and Lung Foundation, and the Canadian Cancer Society.
In light of the letter and the arguments made by those groups, I am going to vote for the clauses mentioned and possibly—very probably, even—for the suggested amendments, if they are moved. That has not been an easy decision to make and I object to how the government has handled this.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.