Jump to full article: San Francisco Chronicle, 2003-01-22
Author: DAN DUGAS / Canadian Press
Intro: OTTAWA (CP) - The anti-tobacco lobby denounced Health Minister Anne McLellan on Weedless Wednesday, saying she lacks the leadership of her predecessor in the fight against smoking.
The complaint came as McLellan announced at a downtown health clinic that the federal government will spend $5 million on anti-smoking ads. Smoking "is a health issue and the champion has to be the health minister," Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada spokeswoman Cynthia Callard said.
"We know we had a champion with the last minister."
Callard noted that in the year since taking over the health portfolio from Allan Rock, McLellan cut $13 million from the anti-tobacco program.
Anti-smoking activists argue the government should spend much more on stop-smoking programs, given how much it profits from tobacco sales.
The minister acknowledged the cuts but denied backing down in the fight against smoking.
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