For Immediate Release
December 1, 2008

Government concerned with cigarillos but not illegal trade

Queen’s Park – Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett voted against a Private Members Bill that would ban flavoured cigarettes in Ontario.

“It seems hypocritical to me for government members to support such legislation when they’ve done absolutely nothing with respect to the illegal trade that is growing by leaps and bounds,” Barrett said.

The bill was crafted in an attempt to keep cigarillos out of the hands of young people. Barrett said that the government tolerates kids buying cheap smokes and cigarillos out of trunks of cars. At the corner store where they’ll be asked for identification.

“There is absolutely no logic shown by this government on this matter,” Barrett said. “They’ve lost control of 50 per cent of the tobacco market already through increased taxes and poor tobacco policy. There is definitely an elephant in the room and it’s the illegal trade.”

MPP Barrett said that government’s tolerance of the illegal trade has gone a long way in destroying the local tobacco economy.

“This cigarillo tobacco issue is a red herring, and is an example of McGuinty’s nanny state policies of ban this and ban that.”

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