I would like to refer to comments made by the RCMP in front of the Standing Committee on Health two years ago, as well as I can recall them. It had been suggested that measures be taken particularly with respect to smokers who buy illegal cigarettes. The RCMP pointed out at the time that, because of resource issues, it would be impossible to catch all the people buying these cigarettes. Catching one person would certainly have a deterrent effect, but then we would simply be moving the problem somewhere else. The real problem is not the smoker, but the people manufacturing these illegal cigarettes.
As Mr. Norlock pointed out earlier, these people are dealing with an addiction. That is why we would like to see strategies that focus on the source of the problem, and not the individual.