Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is aware that what he refers to is really a provincial issue.
The issue of secondhand smoke is a devastating one. In my early 20s I did a study for the Ontario government on the issue of secondhand smoke. It was found that there were demonstrably higher levels of morbidity and mortality associated with the spouses of people who smoked. It was quite dramatic actually. Not only were disease rates much higher but also death rates were much higher for people who lived in smoking environments.
I would like to take a moment to make a plea to the public. As a doctor I find it to be absolutely unforgivable when parents smoke in the presence of their children. Some parents smoke in closed cars with their children. Children who are only a couple of years old are brought to the emergency department and their charts are filled with admissions for respiratory problems, asthma and pneumonia. That is a direct result of parents smoking around their children.
Mr. Speaker, through you to the public, I make a plea to anyone who is watching to not smoke around their children, to not smoke in their homes if they have children and for heaven's sake, to not smoke in their cars if children are present. Smoke outside the house. Do not smoke around children. Do not poison the lungs of children. That is exactly what some people are doing.