Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada recognizes the fact that almost 40,000 Canadians die every year from smoking.
The Government of Canada also recognizes the fact that for the first time last year cigarette smoking in Canada increased as opposed to decreased.
The Government of Canada also recognizes the unfortunate fact that young women in particular have continued to smoke despite the general decline in smoking of the population. That is why the Government of Canada is introducing a four-pronged strategy to make sure that we have a strategy that encourages every single Canadian to stop smoking by ensuring that the base price level for cigarettes is at a level that is out of reach of young Canadians and hopefully very soon out of the wish of most Canadians.