Health Committee on June 9th, 2009

[Patrick Brown, Conservative, Barrie, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm sharing the first part of my time with Mr. Rickford.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the witnesses.

I just want to make a couple of very brief comments.

First of all, Sam, thanks so much for representing the great Kenora riding today and for spreading an important message with all your colleagues. The Flavour...GONE! campaign has had a real impact in our region. As a chemotherapy-certified nurse, I've had the unfortunate responsibility of treating young men suffering from the absolute worst-case scenario of smokeless tobacco. Whole parts of their jaws were resected surgically, and they went on to have other and more serious forms of cancer.

Sam, I just want to know if you have seen effects in your friends or if you would be willing to share very briefly the less serious forms of injuries that can lead ultimately to cancer that occur in the mouth with regular or not-so-regular use.

[Sam McKibbon]

As I said, I've had quite a few friends who have used smokeless tobacco, especially on the football team. I was heavily involved with that in high school. Starting in grade 9 and being in grade 11 or grade 12, after only three or four years of using during their high school years, at least three of my friends had precancerous cells, leukoplakia, forming on their lips where they stuck their chew. Because the tobacco is absorbed through the mucous membrane in the mouth, the cancer does tend to show up more quickly, from what I understand. It is quite dangerous, and it does do significant damage when they have to remove that cancer.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

That's great, Sam. I understand that at least 70% of first-time users can get canker sores almost immediately after using, so it's quite incredible.

My second question is for Melodie. I have to disclose that coming from the generation of Popeye cigarettes, I was a user. It was a really good candy, but obviously very harmful, and I have changed my ways.

I was wondering what groups like yours do to lobby the candy manufacturers to reduce or eliminate some of these products that we're seeing that seem to almost work in collaboration with the smokeless tobacco producers in that they're so obviously similar and, like Popeye cigarettes, encourage kids to graduate from a candy cigarette to a smoking cigarette.

[Melodie Tilson]

You're absolutely right. These are not benign products, to the extent that I will actually go through my kids' Halloween candy and remove all the Popeye cigarettes and not let them have them. A lot of good it did me, but I tried.

In terms of our organization's lobbying efforts, we certainly support a ban on imitation tobacco products, but we haven't lobbied actively on this issue. These are not products that immediately affect health in the way that flavoured smokeless tobacco and cigarillos do. We're a small organization, so we've had to pick and choose the issues we work on.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Thank you.

Thanks, Pat.

[Patrick Brown, Conservative, Barrie, ON]

Sam, I too appreciate your efforts. I met with a group in my riding from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. They're peer leaders as well, and they presented several hundred petitions. It's a compelling way to raise awareness for this cause and it's certainly a good approach.

I have a question for any of the witnesses: how does Canada compare to other countries? Are we behind the pack, or are we leading on this campaign to tackle some of the root causes of tobacco addiction?

[Rob Cunningham]

It depends on what we're talking about. In many ways Canada is a leader. We were the first country to have picture-based warnings on packages. Some of the aspects of this bill will be among the best in the world with respect to flavours, and we commend parliamentarians for that.

This will move us up with respect to advertising, but there will still be countries that have stronger laws on advertising. We certainly have a problem with contraband, but in many respects--for example, with retail displays at the provincial level--Canada is an international leader.

[Patrick Brown, Conservative, Barrie, ON]

How has tobacco advertising changed in Canada over the last several years? Has it become more aggressive?

[Melodie Tilson]

A few years ago we didn't see any traditional forms of advertising, particularly when the companies were arguing the Tobacco Act when it was before the Supreme Court. In about 2007 they resumed advertising in print publications.

The biggest form of promotion that we've seen in the last few years is the package itself. We have that with cigarillos in the form of the really unique packages, the colouring, etc. It is a major form of promotion for cigarettes as well. The packages are novel. They're using different colours, different styles of openings, and different shapes. They're using everything, all to undermine the health warning messages by making them less visible and less prominent, and they're also using the look of the package itself to suggest that this product is not nearly as harmful as people have been led to believe.

Our organizations intend to come before members of Parliament on that issue in the near future. We would like to see all tobacco products packaged in plain and standardized packages so that the companies can't continue to use the package as a major vehicle to promote use.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you.

I'm sorry that I have to interrupt you, Mr. Brown.

I want to thank our witnesses for coming today.

I'm going to have to spend two minutes with the committee after you leave. I just want to thank you for your very insightful information. It's invaluable.

I'm going to suspend the committee for about thirty seconds, because we're running out of time. I would ask that if you want to have any conversations that you please leave the room. I'm going to be calling the committee back shortly.

[Proceedings continue in camera]