Statement made on 09 December 2010 by Senator James Cowan
Hon. James S. Cowan (Leader of the Opposition):
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.
On November 18, I and a number of honourable senators on this side asked the leader questions about reports that had been in the press saying that the government was not proceeding with plans to update the health warning labels on cigarette packages. The leader was very clear in her response. She said the government has not reversed its position; they have not cancelled the program.
In responding to Senator Merchant, the leader also said:
. . . it is absolutely insulting to suggest that because The Globe and Mail asks the question did we bow to the lobby or pressure from the tobacco industry, then it must be true. That is an outrageous statement that does not even warrant a response.
That was what the leader said on November 18.
Honourable senators, the other day, Health Canada documents were tabled before the committee in the other place and they paint a somewhat different picture. In September 2009, according to those documents, Health Canada met with anti-tobacco advocates to provide an update on the labelling renewal initiative. At that meeting, the officials showed mock-ups and bigger, more graphic pictures and messages in preparation for drafting final regulations to be published in early 2010.
They show Health Canada having a series of private meetings between November 2009 and April 2010 to update the industry about the labelling renewal initiative — okay?
The tobacco companies, of course, have lobbied against these warnings and have argued that the government should concentrate on cracking down on contraband cigarettes. We all agree that is an appropriate thing to do.
It now appears there were a number of meetings, including four meetings at the Prime Minister's Office and more than 80 meetings over a two-year period. This was reinforced last evening on the CBC report that I am sure the leader saw, given her penchant for watching the news late at night. Big tobacco won this contest.
In May 2010, these same documents report that there was a meeting between Health Canada and Imperial Tobacco. During that meeting, Imperial Tobacco was informed of "suspended regulatory projects" and that the federal government would be cracking down on contraband cigarettes.
Why did the leader say on November 18 that the government had not made a decision when the government was informing Imperial Tobacco at a private meeting in May that they had done so?
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