NEWS RELEASE 

June 21, 1994                                                                                                                 For Immediate Release 

"DEMOCRACY TAKES BACK SEAT TO LIBERAL AGENDA" 

Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville was disappointed that the government chose to once again ride roughshod over the democratic process and limit the debate on Bill C-32 which will formally implement the tax reduction on cigarettes and tobacco products. "I am disappointed, but I am not surprised. The way this bill was rammed through Parliament proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that democracy only happens at election time," said Breitkreuz. The government introduced Bill C-32 on May 27th, cut short the debate during second reading and completed the clause by clause vote at Committee stage in less than fifteen seconds, despite many commons sense recommendations from the Canadian Cancer Society, Action on Smoking and Health and the Reform Party. 

"Canadian's concerns about the government's tax reduction on cigarettes were confirmed when the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Health appeared before the Standing Committee on Finance on June 7th and advised that the government's goal was [quote]...to reduce the demand for tobacco, the number one cause of preventable death in Canada. [unquote] She went on to say, [quote] The government fully recognized that the Action Plan to Combat Smuggling and the tax measures associated with it would pose health risks.[unquote] It is inconceivable to me and Reformers how the government can rationalize their goal of preventing death with their actions which will increase smoking dramatically," said Breitkreuz. He quoted a Harvard University Economics professor whose studies show that the tax reductions implemented by the Liberals will increase the total number of tobacco users in Canada by 840,000 which includes 175,000 teenagers. Health costs were estimated by the professor to rise on the long term by $1.33 billion per year. 

Breitkreuz coordinated the Reform Party's response to the government's National Action Plan to Combat Smuggling which included two bills C-11 and C-32. On behalf of concerned Canadians, he introduced the following recommendations to the Government during his speech to the House of Commons: 

1. We need an immediate evaluation of the health care costs and implications, particularly for young people. 
2. We need to extend the health promotion surtax beyond three years - it should be in effect as long as tobacco taxes remain as low as they are. 
3. We need to make tobacco companies fully accountable for increased health care costs. 
4. We need a clear timetable to increase taxes on cigarettes and tobacco products. 
5. We need to close the loopholes in the export tax. 
6. We need a better enforcement strategy to stop the east-west smuggling problem - mail-order advertising has not been stopped. 
7. The level of fines also need to be increased. 
8. We need to ban small packages of smokeless tobacco products (snuff and chewing tobacco) designed for sale to young people. 
9. Health warnings on cigarette packages are being obscured by manufacturers and the government should put an immediate end to this practice. 
10. And finally, there is a need for a complete and total ban on tobacco advertising. 

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