Several health organizations are joining forces to demand measures to fight against smoking in Quebec. During the election campaign, they challenge the parties to reveal their commitments in this area of public health.
None of the five main parties has presented measures related to the fight against smoking in its electoral platform, which is deplored by the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control and other organizations, including the Heart and stroke, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Quebec Public Health Association and the Quebec Lung Association.
Quebec had nearly one million smokers in 2021, or 13.3% of its population aged 12 and over, according to Statistics Canada. These figures make it one of the provinces in Canada with the most smokers, along with the Atlantic provinces.
For the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, one of the ways to fight against smoking would be to increase the provincial tobacco tax. Currently, Quebec has the lowest tax in Canada and the Coalition recommends reaching at least the level of Ontario, which has the second lowest tax in the country.
In a letter to major party leaders last week, the Coalition explained that an initial hike of $7 a cartridge would result in 18,000 fewer smokers and $185 million in additional annual revenue. After three increases over five years to the same level as Ontario, there would be 36,000 fewer smokers and $1.5 billion in revenue, she estimates.
According to the Quebec Council on Tobacco and Health, which is also a signatory to the letter, 13,000 Quebecers die each year because of tobacco, or an average of 35 people each day, which is twice as many as deaths related to tobacco. COVID-19.
A change in the law requested
The organizations are also calling for a review of the Tobacco Control Act, which has not been amended since 2015.
“We face the myth that smoking has been fixed. Of course, we have made progress, but it is important to remember that smoking remains an enormous burden on the health system, being responsible for 30% of cancers, being a very important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. “, underlines the co-director of the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, Flory Doucas.
Doucas finds it troubling that this major cause of death is not part of party election platforms.
“In the context of COVID, we have seen the fragility and precariousness of our health system. We remain extremely perplexed by the fact that we do not see the parties committing to a more effective and robust fight against smoking, then [contre] the new epidemic that we see in front of us, which is vaping among young people,” she adds.
The signatories to the letter are also calling for a ban on vaping flavors, including mint and menthol, to counter youth vaping.
“There was a time when there were cigarillos flavored with fruit, mint, etc. And that had contributed to the increase in the popularity of the use of these products among young people, recalls Ms. Doucas. And when we intervened on the flavors, we saw a drop in consumption among this clientele. »
The parties focus on prevention
Asked by The Canadian Press, the main parties stressed the importance of the fight against smoking, without committing to modifying the provincial tobacco tax.
“We have done a lot in the last four years, among other things in terms of promotional campaigns,” says the leader of the Coalition avenir Québec and outgoing Premier, François Legault. There has indeed been a drop in people who smoke or vape and I am happy. But for the moment, we have no intention of increasing taxes, whatever they may be. »
The Liberal Party of Quebec says that it “had the opportunity to discuss with representatives of various organizations, in particular the importance of acting in a concerted and coherent manner on the basis of conclusive data in order to obtain the best impact vis-à-vis our common goal of reducing smoking. »
“We are prepared to look at all the measures that could enable us to reduce tobacco consumption in Quebec, including imposing collection costs on tobacco manufacturers,” added the party in an email, specifying that a Liberal government will enter into discussions with Quebecers.
On the side of Quebec solidaire (QS), it is estimated that “the fight against smoking goes through awareness campaigns carried out by a truly independent and revalued public health”, specifies the party in an email.
However, QS does not intend to amend the Tobacco Control Act or the provincial tax.
“With regard to vaping, public authorities should scrutinize the promotion of products that lead young people to increase their consumption. A united government will put in place prevention, education, health and well-being programs from an early age in order to limit the risk factors for the development of addiction,” the party adds.
The Parti Québécois indicates that it will not modify the tax, “so as not to increase the financial burden in the context of inflation”.
“The Parti Québécois recognizes that smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in Quebec and we are committed to focusing on prevention and considering the imposition of additional collection fees on tobacco manufacturers. The Party intends to carry out awareness campaigns as a priority, ”explains the party in an email.
The Conservative Party of Quebec did not respond to requests from The Canadian Press.
— With information from Caroline Plante.