Mr. Speaker, contraband cigarettes are indeed a serious problem in many different regions in Canada. In fact, in certain areas it does fuel a significant amount of organized crime because of the amount of revenue that can be generated.
The negative impacts of that organized crime are fairly profound and have a serious impact on many communities throughout Canada.
My question is for the minister. Has the department done any sort of any analysis, or can it provide us with any information in terms of the degree to which contraband cigarettes are on the market in different regions of the country? Does the minister have that type of information? If so, I would personally be quite interested in receiving it. If he could make it available, that would be greatly appreciated.