In advance of the 2021 federal election, we sent a survey to the federal political parties, asking for their position on a number of Heart & Stroke advocacy priorities. The survey questions and responses can be found below.
1. After the federal election, would your party support an annual cost recovery fee on the tobacco industry to recompense for the annual health costs associated with tobacco use and to recover the full annual costs of the federal tobacco control strategy?
As of 2019, Canada’s major tobacco companies have filed for protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act because of legal actions brought against them by victims of tobacco use. In the event of bankruptcy, governments have priority in the liquidation of assets. While we are not opposed to tobacco companies further offsetting the costs their products incur for the healthcare system, we believe that the interests of victims should take precedence over additional tax measures
.A Conservative government will charge an annual cost recovery fee to the tobacco industry to provide full reimbursement for the annual cost of the federal tobacco control strategy.
A re-elected Liberal Government will move forward a requirement for tobacco manufacturers’ to pay for the cost of federal investments in tobacco control. The tobacco manufacturers’ recovery fee is anticipated to generate $66 million in annual revenue as of 2022-23, which is equal to the costs of Canada’s Tobacco Strategy.
In Budget 2018, the Liberal Government announced $80.5M in new funding for Canada’s Tobacco Strategy to build on existing resources, bringing our total investment to approximately $330M over five years.
A New Democratic government will force big tobacco companies to pay for the costs associated with tobacco use in Canada and the federal tobacco control strategy. In the last Parliament, NDP Health Critic Don Davies introduced Motion M-54, which called for the immediate adoption of this important measure. A cost recovery fee would generate an estimated $66 million a year and help hold this predatory industry to account.
2. Would your party support taking immediate steps towards the implementation of a national universal pharmacare program to improve access to medically necessary prescription medications for all people in Canada? If not, are there any other steps your party would consider for improving drug access for all people in Canada?
Naturally, the Bloc Québécois cannot support a universal pharmacare program at the federal level because we believe that healthcare is exclusively under provincial jurisdiction. Moreover, Québec has had its own pharmacare plan since 1996. However, if the federal government were to go ahead with this solution, we believe that the Québec government should have the right to opt out with full compensation.
A key to affordable drugs in Canada is to ensure that Canada is a reasonable jurisdiction for pharmaceutical companies to operate within. A Conservative government will ramp up Canadian research and production capacity by making Canada one of the best jurisdictions globally for pharmaceutical research and development and the production of vaccines and medicines. We won’t allow Liberal regulation to drive pharmaceutical companies out of Canada anymore. We will follow the UK’s example by putting in place a sector strategy to grow the sector in a well-thought-out way rather than just handing out money.
A Conservative government will also end the Liberal hostility to the pharma sector that has driven investment out of Canada, left us near the back of the line for vaccines, and risks leaving us at the back of the line for new medicines. Instead, we will negotiate constructively with the industry to reduce drug prices while providing long-term regulatory certainty.
Conservatives also realize that ensuring access to critical supplies is at the heart of maintaining affordable drug places. We will increase the domestic production of critical supplies by partnering with pharmaceutical companies to increase production of critical medicines and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients in Canada. We will also work with the United States to strengthen the North American supply chain for pharmaceuticals to reduce our shared reliance on imports.
We believe that no Canadian should have to choose between paying for prescription drugs and putting food on the table. That is why we support the continued work to develop a universal national pharmacare policy that expands drug coverage and reduces the costs of prescription drugs for all Canadians.
The Liberal Party is committed to pharmacare and have begun work with the provinces, territories and stakeholders to advance the implementation of national universal pharmacare so that Canadians have the drug coverage they need.
Most recently, the Liberal government took a significant first step in launching its first pharmacare demonstration initiative in partnership with Prince Edward Island. Through this initiative, PEI and its residents will see the expansion of the drugs covered by public plans and improved affordability of drug plans. This initiative will provide important insights to inform the implementation of national universal pharmacare in other willing provinces and territories.
A re-elected Liberal government will continue this important work so that Canadians have the drug coverage they need. This includes establishing a Canadian Drug Agency, a national formulary (the list of drugs covered) and a national strategy for drugs for rare diseases.
Just as New Democrats led the fight to establish universal public health care in Canada, we are leading the fight to extend comprehensive prescription drug coverage to every Canadian – regardless of their job, region, age, health status or income.
A New Democratic government will get to work immediately with the provinces and territories to implement universal public pharmacare – with a targeted launch date of 2022. We will put an annual federal investment of $10 billion on the table to make this happen.
Our plan will provide access to necessary medicines and medical devices in the same way that we currently have access to medical and hospital care – free at the point of care, financed by a public insurance system that covers everyone. It means that you’ll need your health card – not your credit card – at the pharmacy till.
Universal pubic pharmacare will eliminate out-of-pocket costs for Canadians and lead to big savings for employers who currently provide drug coverage. This will save families an average of $550 per year and employers approximately $600 per employee with extended health benefits. In addition, we will save an estimated $4.2 billion a year on overall prescription drug spending by pooling the purchasing power of the entire country. Most importantly, our pharmacare plan will mean a healthier Canada where no one must make the impossible choice between the medicine they need and essentials like rent and food.
3. Would your party support regulations to comprehensively restrict flavoured vaping products that appeal to youth, including mint/menthol flavours (but excluding tobacco flavour), to help address the national youth vaping crisis?
In Part I of the June 19, 2021, Canada Gazette, the federal government announced proposed regulations to ban flavours in vaping products. This measure is intended to combat the rise in youth vaping. Those who were interested in sharing their views had until September 2, 2021, to do so. Since we are in the midst of an election campaign, it is highly unlikely that the government will issue an order in council to bring the proposed regulations into force before the election results are known. Therefore, the Bloc Québécois is committed to being vigilant and ensuring that the next government issues the order in council so that the regulations banning flavours in vaping products can be applied.
A Conservative government will review the regulations related to vaping and vaping-related products in light of ongoing scientific research and the differing approaches taken across international jurisdictions. As Conservatives, we will look to the best available science to inform our regulatory approach.
As youth vaping continues to rise, the Liberal government has taken action to address it. While youth smoking is at its lowest level in decades, vaping is putting a new generation of Canadians at risk of nicotine addiction and the other harms caused by vaping. Vaping can lead to tobacco use, which threatens the hard-earned gains of Canadians in lowering the number of people and youth who smoke.
Working with the medical community, other governments and stakeholders, we took bold action and published draft regulations to restrict the flavour options in vaping products in Canada to tobacco and mint/menthol. This will help make vaping less attractive to youth, while giving alternatives to adults who smoke and wish to transition, or have already transitioned to vaping.
The Liberal Party will continue to be guided by the best available scientific data and public health advice. We will move forward in a thoughtful way if further restrictions are necessary to protect the health and wellbeing of youth in Canada.
The reality is that big tobacco companies have cornered Canada’s vaping market. They’re using attractive flavours, high nicotine content and aggressive advertising to hook a new generation of Canadians on their highly addictive products.
According to Statistics Canada’s 2020 Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, about one in seven young Canadians reported vaping on a regular basis last year. Researchers also found that 14 percent of teenagers aged 15 to 19 had vaped in the previous month.
Public health experts have been clear that this disturbing trend cannot be reversed unless stricter regulations are put in place. That’s why a New Democratic government will curtail marketing for vaping products, comprehensively restrict flavours that appeal to young people, prohibit certain additives, and require health warnings.
4. Would your party support an excise duty tax on vaping e-liquids and a value-added tax on vaping devices to help protect our youth?
In its 2021 budget, the federal government announced its intention to tax vaping products. However, the introduction of such a tax was not included in Bill C-30, which implemented the budget. As such, the implementation of the tax is still uncertain. That is why the Bloc Québécois will make sure that the government goes ahead with taxing these products in the next budget.
A Conservative government will review the regulations related to vaping and vaping-related products in light of ongoing scientific research and the differing approaches taken across international jurisdictions. As Conservatives, we will look to the best available science to inform our regulatory approach.
A re-elected Liberal government will move forward with a national tax on vaping products, which is estimated to generate over $90 million in annual revenues starting in 2022-23. Consultations on an excise duty have already commenced and we are committed to moving forward on this initiative to better protect Canadian youth.
The Liberal Party will continue to be guided by the best available scientific data and public health advice. We will move forward in a thoughtful way if further taxes and/or other measures are necessary to address vaping and protect the health of Canadian youth.
New Democrats believe that taxation could be an effective tool to help curb demand among young people for vaping products. This approach has been used to reduce youth smoking rates for many years. We support the introduction of a comprehensive new excise duty and taxation framework for vaping products.
5. Would your party support the implementation of simple, easy-to-read nutrition labels on the front of food and beverage packaging to identify products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fats?
Like you, we believe that front-of-package nutrition labelling is a simple way to improve people’s diets and help consumers make informed choices. It is time for the federal government to implement this long-awaited labelling act.
Canada’s Conservatives will ensure Canada’s nutrition guidelines are based on science. We will form Industry Councils (e.g. biotech, retail, etc.) that will provide recommendations to the government on world-leading regulation. We will also improve cost-benefit analysis of regulatory proposals by requiring consultation with industry so that regulators understand the true impact and consider lower-impact alternatives to achieve the same result.
Yes, a re-elected Liberal government is committed to moving forward with front-of-pack labelling that will help Canadians make healthy food choices. We know that high intakes of saturated fat, sugars and sodium are linked to chronic conditions and diseases, such as obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, which also put additional strain on our healthcare system. By implementing front-of-pack labelling, we will make it easier for Canadians to choose healthier options.
New Democrats support the implementation of effective front-of-package labelling requirements to help Canadians choose products that are lower in sodium, sugar, or saturated fats. These nutrition labels would provide quick and easy guidance to help people make informed choices about their eating habits. They would also encourage industry to improve the nutritional quality of packaged foods available in the marketplace.
6. Would your party support restrictions on the marketing to children of foods and beverages that are high in salt, sugar, and saturated fats?
Since 1980, Québec has banned this type of advertising, and it has proven to be effective. We agree with the implementation of a similar plan at the federal level, but it is important to avoid tying the hands of Québec, which has been able to make this type of progress possible.
Canada’s Conservatives will ensure Canada’s nutrition guidelines are based on science. We will form Industry Councils (e.g. biotech, retail, etc.) that will provide recommendations to the government on world-leading regulation. We will also improve cost-benefit analysis of regulatory proposals by requiring consultation with industry so that regulators understand the true impact and consider lower-impact alternatives to achieve the same result.
Yes, a re-elected Liberal government will introduce new restrictions on the marketing of food and beverages to children. We know that this is only part of the solution to ensuring our children are in a healthier food environment, which is why we are also committed to a National School Food Policy and working towards a national school nutritious meals program with a $1 billion investment over five years. Together, these initiatives will help children in Canada grow up healthier.
A New Democratic government will ban junk food advertising targeted at children. Pediatricians and childhood development experts have been calling for this critical public health measure for years. Québec has had legislation in place since the early 1980s to protect children from advertising – it’s time to establish similar safeguards across Canada.
In addition, New Democrats will partner with provinces, territories, municipalities and Indigenous communities to work towards a national school nutrition program that will give every child in Canada access to healthy food, and the food literacy skills to make healthy choices for life. We’ll aim to make culturally appropriate food available to children in every community in Canada, so that all children can grow and learn.