Philippe Boucher's Rendez Vous Heidi Rathjen and Louis Gauvin
Rendez-vous with Heidi Rathjen and Louis Gauvin
Co-directors, Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control.
By Philippe Boucher
Rendez-vous with Heidi Rathjen and Louis Gauvin
Heidi and Louis are co-directing the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control.
Thank you Heidi and Louis for accepting our rendez-vous.
May I ask you to introduce yourselves?
Heidi Rathjen: I was a student in civil engineering at Montreal's Šcole Polytechnique when, on December 6, 1989, a man entered the building and opened fire with a paramilitary weapon, ending the lives of 14 of my fellow female students. I chose to devote myself to the cause of firearms control and, with Wendy Cukier, founded the Coalition for Gun Control. For six years, we mobilized organizations to support the issue of public security, working with the media and lobbying politicians until, in December 1995, the Government of Canada finally enacted strict and comprehensive firearms control legislation. In 1996 I joined the newly founded Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control.
Louis Gauvin : I have been involved with the tobacco issue for more than 15 years. Trained as an educator, I have previously worked for many years with young people. During the first phase of my career in the anti-tobacco movement, in my capacity as a public health professional, I helped smokers to quit, set up prevention programs in schools, and acted as consultant for businesses implementing policies on tobacco use. Then, in the early 1990s, as the rise in cigarette smuggling and the ensuing "tax wars" made headlines, I voiced my concerns in public for the first time, directly confronting the tobacco industry and engaging in political lobbying. At the time, I set up an initial "mini-coalition" of organizations and professionals in the health sector to oppose the government's plan to reduce cigarette taxes, and to try preserve the gains that had already been made in the area of tobacco control.
Unfortunately, it proved to be a losing cause. That's when we created the Coalition.
First question: Can you tell us about this Coalition?
The Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control was born in the wake of this bitter defeat. In spite of all its efforts and good intentions, the public health network lacked sufficient preparation, resources and structure, and failed to successfully counter the 1994 reduction in cigarette taxes. This setback, though, made key players in the health arena realize that, to wage a truly effective war against the tobacco industry, more widespread mobilization on the political scene and better coordination of resources would be needed.
To this end, four years ago an education and mobilization project was begun with the aim of garnering the support necessary for the adoption of a series of wide-ranging legislative measures. The Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control strives toward the following objectives:
Í protect the public from the effects of cigarette smoke;
Í prevent young people from taking up smoking;
Í control the manufacturing and marketing of tobacco products;
Í encourage smoking cessation by users who want to quit.
Since it was founded in 1996, our alliance has led a sustained effort to raise awareness of tobacco-related health issues. Throughout Quebec, the coalition has recruited some 700 physicians and other health professionals on an individual basis, along with more than 720 organizations, that have officially endorsed its agenda of legislative objectives. These organizations include medical associations and institutes, hospitals, CLSCs, medical clinics, school boards, primary and secondary schools, parents' associations, youth groups, municipalities, and environmental and community groups.
Today, our coalition is one of the world's largest. It is recognized as having played a crucial role in the process that led to the Quebec National Assembly's unanimous adoption of the Tobacco Act in June 1998. A number of observers have commented that this legislation is the best non-taxing statute in Canada and one of the most comprehensive in the world. The coalition was also extremely active in the fight that led to the passage of new tobacco legislation by the Government of Canada in 1997. Currently, it plays a pivotal role in the campaigns in support of further federal government measures such as improved warning labels on cigarette packages and a new increase in taxes.
In 1999, our contributions to improved public health were recognized by the World Health Organization , which named the Coalition as a winner of its Tobacco Free World Award.
2. What is the smoking situation in Quebec?
Quebec has a population of 7 million, 2 million of whom are smokers. For several years we have held the dubious distinction of being the heaviest smokers in Canada, and this applies to both men and women and across all age groups. Quebecers smoke more cigarettes per day, and smoke stronger cigarettes. Moreover, our young people are starting to smoke at an earlier age. Before the Tobacco Act came into force, Quebec had the poorest protection of any jurisdiction in Canada in terms of cigarette smoke in public places, in the workplace and on premises frequented by young people.
smoking in youth aged 15-19 years: Quebec: 36% / Canada: 29% smoking by women aged 15 years and up: Quebec: 30% / Canada: 26% respect of ban on tobacco sales to minors: Quebec: 29% / Canada: 61%
More in-depth studies than those currently available would be required to explain these contrasting statistics. It is useful to note, however, that the stronghold of Canada's tobacco industry is in Quebec-three out of Canada's four tobacco factories are located here, as is the head office of Imperial Tobacco. Investments in tobacco advertising, event sponsorship and promotion are also comparatively higher here than in other provinces (approximately $80 million per year).
3. What about the resources devoted to tobacco control?
Where resources are concerned, until 1995 there were only a handful of full-time professionals working on anti-tobacco issues. At the time, even the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services (known by its French acronym MSSS) allocated only a few thousand dollars annually to the anti-smoking cause.
Today, there is a marked improvement. The MSSS now devotes approximately $3 million per year to tobacco control, and a team of some twenty specialized officials is assigned to the issue. Much progress remains to be made, of course, especially when one considers that the various taxes on tobacco bring in close to $500 million each year to Quebec government coffers, and that smoking is still the number one public health issue.
In addition, each of the province's 18 administrative regions can now rely on specific budgets and skilled personnel to provide assistance to smokers, develop programs aimed at young people, and support companies in the implementation of policies designed to curb smoking in the workplace.
4. What about the new legislative frame for tobacco control in Quebec? And most important what about its implementation?
The Tobacco Act (proclaimed in 1998 and gradually implemented thereafter) is a major breakthrough that will bring about radical changes in the Quebec "tobacco landscape." This legislation is meant as a global approach to countering tobacco use and to safeguarding public health.
The Act imposes a total ban on smoking in schools and in all other areas designated for young people. In addition, it places restrictions on smoking in all public places and work environments as well as in businesses, hotels and restaurants, calling for the establishment of designated smoking areas equipped with ventilation systems to remove cigarette smoke directly to the outside air. It forbids the sale of tobacco products to minors and in pharmacies and health-care facilities, among others.
The legislation also provides for strict regulations concerning advertising, and makes it an offence for tobacco companies to engage in any sort of promotional activity (e.g., donation of cigarettes, rebates, or gifts to consumers). Eventually (in 2003), there will be a total ban on tobacco industry sponsorship of cultural and sporting events and venues. Lastly, the government is now empowered to regulate the composition and characteristics of tobacco products, and to require manufacturers to disclose information about current products and those coming on the market, about their advertising investments, and about the ingredients and characteristics of their tobacco products (see <www.msss.gouv.qc.ca/loi-tabac>).
In the months to come, we will continue to carefully monitor the phasing-in of the restrictions on tobacco use, which came into force on December 17, 1999. This is all the more important in light of the fact that the new Quebec health minister recently decide to postpone application of the penalties stipulated in the Act for a period of six months to one year. The minister explained that he was confident this new timeframe would enable smokers and businesses to adjust "smoothly. " So far, the reaction has been extremely positive.
The other major worry is in the area of sponsorship. Tobacco manufacturers have steadily increased their sponsorship of sports and cultural events-it reached an all-time high in 1999 - even though Quebec law already sets a ceiling on the amounts they may invest in this area and forbids them from sponsoring new events. Despite our concern with regard to this issue, at this point the authorities do not seem the least bit worried about what we consider to be a ticking time bomb: the countdown to the full ban on sponshorship, due to come into effect in 2003. In our opinion, by that time the industry will have the support of hundreds of "small soldiers" all across the province who will be asked to lobby the government to pull back from an across-the-board ban on sponsorship.
5. What do you think of the new proposals at the federal level?
Since the fall of 1999, the Government of Canada has demonstrated significant drive and determination in its opposition to tobacco and tobacco manufacturers:
… it launched an initial "denormalization" campaign in the form of television advertisements showing the toxins contained in tobacco as well as people who have become sick because of their smoking habits, while simultaneously pointing an accusing finger at the tobacco industry;
… it instituted legal proceedings against tobacco companies, accusing them not only of having profited from the market for contraband cigarettes, but also-and more importantly-of having set up a criminal organization for the purposes of smuggling cigarettes between the United States and Canada and thus forcing the government to bring cigarette taxes back down;
… it released more than 10,000 pages of compromising documents about tobacco industry practices, culled from the archives of BAT in Guildford, England.
More recently, Canada's health minister announced proposals for new, more complete health warnings on cigarette packs, accompanied by hard-hitting colour photographs. Once enacted, the regulation would also force manufacturers to include, on the reverse of the slide and flap, relevant information about the health effects of smoking, along with hints for smokers on how to quit. They would also be required to state the nature of some fifty toxic constituents in tobacco. (All material made public on the occasion, including the proposed colour photos, can be consulted on the Health Canada website at <www.hc-sc.gc.ca>.)
Other measures are also being contemplated:
… a requirement to supply the government with reports on tobacco sales, manufacturing and packaging methods, as well as on research and activities in the areas of advertising, sales and sponsorship;
… the withdrawal of certain wordings on packaging, e.g., "light, " "smooth, "
"mild";
… a requirement for retailers to display only the sides of cigarette packs on store shelves.
The tobacco companies have already begun their counterattack, aiming to systematically block these initiatives and mobilizing their traditional allies in such situations, e.g., printers and convenience stores.
As for the Coalition, the year 2000 will see us fully committed to the battle being waged by all health agencies in Canada in favour of the proposed measures.
Thank you Heidi and Louis for taking the time to be with us today.
P.S: Heidi has just published her first book, December 6 , which recounts the behind-the-scenes story of that six-year struggle for improved gun control.
December 6, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, 1999, 211 p.
Website: www.guncontrol.ca
Philippe Boucher
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Philippe Boucher, cyberjournalist Web and Tobacco Control Consultant 9424 Windsong Loop Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 USA e-mail: boucher@globalink.org
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Prepared by Philippe Boucher mailto:IslandErsk@aol.com
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