Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the committee for the invitation to appear today on this very important public health matter to Nova Scotians and to all Canadians.
I would like to take a moment to acknowledge my colleague, Steve Machat, manager of tobacco control for the Department of Health Promotion and Protection, who's attending these hearings with me today. Steve is Nova Scotia's representative on the F/P/T Tobacco Liaison Committee and has been directly involved in the discussions regarding health warnings that have taken place at that committee over the past two to three years.
Before speaking directly to the need to urgently renew health warning labels on tobacco products, I would like to provide some context for the committee.
Tobacco does remain the leading cause of illness and premature death in Canada. Despite common perception, the work in tobacco control is far from done.
Internationally, Canada has been a leader in tobacco control in general and health warning labels in particular, being the first country to require these in 2001. However, as has been outlined in a recent report from the Canadian Cancer Society, Canada has now fallen to 15th alongside 18 other countries when ranked on cigarette package health warnings.
In Canada, we've made substantial progress in tobacco control, reducing our overall smoking rate from 28% in 2000 to 17.5% in 2009, and our youth--which are 15- to 19-year-olds--smoking rate from 28% in 2000 to 13% in 2009. This progress has been the result of a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach with leadership at all three levels of government on critical policy areas such as pricing, advertising, and protection from exposure to second-hand smoke. Leadership from the federal government has been critical and much appreciated in the first two of these areas.
However, much of the decrease in smoking rates occurred from 2000 to 2005, with very little change in smoking rates since then. Tobacco control in Canada has stalled. As long as there's an industry with a mandate to make profits for shareholders from the sale of tobacco products, maintaining our progress to date, let alone achieving further reductions in smoking rates, will require a continuation of the comprehensive, multi-faceted approach with the renewal and change of tactics based on the latest evidence.
In Canada, tobacco product packaging is the key remaining source of tobacco advertising. Renewed health warnings comprising at least 75% of the package space will decrease this advertising, make the health warnings more effective, and provide smokers with a single 1-800-quit line. All this will play a major role in continuing to decrease our smoking rates. That's why the tobacco industry does not want these renewed health warnings and it is exactly why we need to do it now.
Provincial and territorial governments remain puzzled as to why the initiative to renew health warnings was stopped at the last minute, with no consultation. The background work on this initiative, which was shared through the F/P/T Tobacco Liaison Committee, had been completed, and there was no hint of concern or reluctance on the part of Health Canada officials as this work progressed.
It's also extremely disappointing to learn that the tobacco industry was informed about Health Canada's decision several months before provincial-territorial partners or the tobacco control community.
One has to wonder what role the tobacco industry played in the decision not to move ahead with the renewal of health warning labels on tobacco packages. After all, their historic tactics are delay, distract, and distort, and it is known they have access and influence. As was presented recently to this committee, Health Canada held four private meetings with the tobacco industry between November 2009 and May 2010.
The delay in the visual health warning and the toll-free number has only one beneficiary: the tobacco industry.
In addition, Health Canada's rationale for the delay does not stand up to scrutiny either. We do not need more study on the effectiveness of health warnings and the need for Canada's to be renewed. We just need to do it. We do not need more study to further restrict tobacco advertising on tobacco packaging. We just need to do it. We do not need to hold up the renewal of health warnings on cigarette packages while we work to find more effective ways to use the Internet and social media to communicate health warnings and other information about tobacco products. Implementing cigarette package changes can happen now and the remaining complementary approaches can be implemented as they are developed.
Lastly, as important as it is, we cannot focus just on contraband. Contrary to what the aggressive advertising campaign of the tobacco industry would have you believe, the vast majority of cigarettes smoked by young people across Canada are legal. As stated earlier, continued success in tobacco control will require a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach. The best way to prevent contraband use is to prevent people from smoking cigarettes, period, and that's through a comprehensive approach.
The tobacco industry wants and needs to distract us from such an approach because they know it will work to further reduce smoking rates. As an individual whose professional and legal responsibility is to work to protect the health of Nova Scotians, I need to ask why the interests of the tobacco industry are being placed above the health of Canadians and the interests of provincial and territorial governments.
The federal government has shown leadership in tobacco control over many years. Bill C-32 is a shining example. It prohibits flavoured tobacco and advertising of such products. Nova Scotia, along with all other provinces and territories, had urged the federal government to address this issue. I am fully aware that Bill C-32 was and continues to be a lightning rod for the global tobacco industry. We know they don't like it. And let me say to the federal government, thank you for staying steadfast and resisting calls to weaken the legislation.
The renewal of health warning labels on tobacco products needs similar political will and leadership. The rationale is clear, the background work has been done, and there are no valid reasons to not move ahead now. Failure to act will weaken the tobacco control efforts of other levels of governments and society, it will create avoidable cost utilization of already stressed provincial and territorial health care systems, and, above all, it will cost lives.
Thank you. We welcome your questions.
