Agriculture committee  Yes.

Agriculture committee  Mr. Easter, thank you for the question. When we put forward the original proposal some two and a half years ago, it spoke to the consumers and/or the manufacturers of tobacco essentially paying for this through a levy on a carton of cigarettes. But throughout this process we loo

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Lauzon. You do make a point. The manufacturers are looking for measurable success on the contraband front. However, we have no confidence that it is going to restore our ability to supply them. They have gotten a taste of cheap imported tobacco in their efforts to

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Lloyd, for your question. You made reference to Mr. Preston and the economic development work that's going on there. We believe that is a positive step. It was part of our original proposal that economic development needed to be part of the solution. However, in the a

Public Safety committee  In 1998 there were 1,600 distinct family units who owned quota. Today that's roughly 1,073. In total we have roughly 1,559, but that includes husbands and wives who may individually hold quota. But in terms of distinct family units, it has dropped by over 500 since 1998. Part o

Public Safety committee  The number of quota owners has dropped by about 500.

Public Safety committee  Maybe just to clarify the issue, the tips that we were speaking to were specific about illegal off-farm sales. Those were the tips that have not resulted in any convictions. But I believe it is factual that the number of seizures—which I believe to be seizures of cigarettes in tr

Public Safety committee  But for other types of tobacco they can.

Public Safety committee  Yes. Our board only has jurisdiction over what is called flue-cured tobacco. It's bright Virginia flue-cured tobacco. It's a family of genetic varieties that are the main ingredients of cigarettes.

Public Safety committee  There's also a small quantity of burley and dark-fired tobacco, grown mainly in Ontario, I believe, but it is outside of our jurisdiction. It is used for cigarettes and all of it is exported.

Public Safety committee  The provincial government.

Public Safety committee  That's correct.

Public Safety committee  Obviously the federal government we believe is in a key leadership position, because it administers tobacco tax policy right across this country. You have the biggest levers at your disposal to help with the solution.

Public Safety committee  Yes. However, in many cases we're hearing that farmers are somewhat reluctant to report these individuals who visit their farms, even if they are turned away. They are fearful about giving a description of the person and the licence plate. The person who visited the farm knows wh

Public Safety committee  It has everything to do with the drop in legal demand, which is due to a combination of factors. We do not deny that fewer people are smoking. However, if the marketplace truly reflected all consumption legally, we probably would have been able to manage that decline internally.