Evidence of meeting #44 for Health in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was nicotine.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:55 p.m.
Director, Tobacco Harm Reduction Association of Canada
No, but I'm saying that you asked where we're getting information—
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Wladyslaw Lizon Conservative Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON
One more question I have is about your statement on nicotine. You said that it's not harmful, that it's only 2.4% of.... Well, the fact that we should live with is that, first of all, nicotine is toxic. It's a poison. It would have an effect on human organs and the human body.
We did hear from a toxicologist who appeared before the committee, and told us that if by accident a child drank whatever is in that liquid container with the nicotine, the child would die before getting to the hospital. Therefore, it is a great danger, and we should not try to minimize it, because it is a real danger. Nicotine was, is, and will be a poison.
That's all I have, Mr. Chair.
12:55 p.m.
Director, Tobacco Harm Reduction Association of Canada
May I answer that?
Certainly nicotine is toxic based on its being pure grade. This is not pure grade. This is diluted. We use that in our vaping products. There has been not one death attributed to a child drinking an e-cigarette solution here in Canada or in North America. When you look at it from that standpoint, caffeine is also a poison if you take it in large doses. It's relative in terms of toxicity.
We also have studies and information from toxicologists that state those figures now for children taking that are actually too low—they're actually quite high, but regardless of that fact, we do not want children to have access or even think of using e-liquids. That's why we propose having stringent regulations on cap safety and on education for adults using it, to keep it away from their children, just like alcohol, just like medication.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Ben Lobb
I have one brief question for you, and then we'll adjourn the meeting.
I'm completely neutral on the questioning, and I just wanted the opinion from your association on the e-cigarette shops that we see in all our neighbourhoods from coast to coast. Do you think those should continue to operate, or do you think they should be banned? What is your association's position on those e-cigarette shops?
1 p.m.
Director, Tobacco Harm Reduction Association of Canada
The local e-cigarette shops are basically the backbone for the industry and also for us vapers, who actually like going to the local shops because the people who provide those services are knowledgeable. They know what they're doing and we're able to talk to them one on one.
The big tobacco companies praise these ciga-like type e-cigarettes, but are not very useful for vapers. They are not a very good product. But we trust those particular local stores to provide us with information and to have the technical knowledge to be able to support the vaping industry.
To ban them would be a travesty because then you would basically hand over to big tobacco, and the last thing we want is to be part of big tobacco. We hate big tobacco, and that is the last thing we want.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Ben Lobb
Very good. Thank you for that.
I thank all our witnesses here today.
Thanks for the questions from our committee.
For Thursday's meeting, I'd ask all committee members to start to formalize over the next couple of days any drafting instructions you'd like to provide to the analysts to let them shape the report on the study.
I thank everybody.
The meeting is adjourned.