Madam Speaker, I am pleased to pursue a question I raised in the House last December 3. It was about Bill S-13, the Tobacco Industry Responsibility Act.
This was the bill that would actually impose a levy on tobacco manufacturers of 50 cents per carton. This was the bill to help support this government's rhetoric around helping young people quit smoking and to encourage them not to start smoking in the first place.
This was the bill that was supported by all kinds of organizations, including the cancer society and hundreds of groups across the country and thousands of Canadians.
This was the bill that was supported by young kids themselves. I quote from a letter by Lee Smith from Chilliwack, B.C.:
I am 13 years old and I have smoked for a year. I am trying to quit. It is hard.
I support Bill S-13 that collects 50 cents on each carton of cigarettes because it will stop kids from smoking.
Thank you for your time.
P.S. Please help kids stop smoking.
Bill S-13 was the bill that the health minister said was a good idea. I quote from his comments to the media on June 3: “I think it is a good idea. I think it is clever. I think it is a good bill and we should go forward with it”.
That is what we are asking today. Where is the bill? Where is this government's support of the idea in the form of some legislation or financial measure to ensure the spirit of the bill put forward by Senator Kenny is adhered to?
Instead of concrete action, all we get from this government is rhetoric. We get the Minister of Health saying this country has the best record anywhere in terms of anti-smoking provisions.
Instead of a great record we have a situation where cigarettes are now cheaper than they were before, tobacco profits are up, more kids are smoking, cigarette advertising has increased, tobacco is killing more Canadians and funding for anti-smoking measures has not been put in place as promised.
What we are asking for is a comprehensive strategy. We thought we would have that when we heard the minister was making a big announcement on January 21. There was no complete comprehensive strategy. There were measures on packaging, on bigger warning labels on cigarette packages and on the particular health effects if one smoked and so on. There was no comprehensive strategy. There was nothing in terms of the need to look at taxation, especially given that many provinces are offering cigarettes at a much lower rate than in the United States. That puts to rest the whole notion of dealing with smuggling.
We have no evidence from this government that it is spending the money it promised in the 1993 federal campaign and in the 1997 federal campaign, $100 million, toward youth anti-smoking initiatives.
We are asking today where is the comprehensive strategy. When will we see the government act on the spirit of Bill S-13 and start acting in terms of protecting the health of our young people?