I was kicked out of the Legislature on April 10? I am not ashamed. I?ll tell you why.
I believe that when a government, any level of government, passes a law in this country it must be enforced equally and fairly. Indeed, there must be one law for all regardless of stature in society. I believe this is a tenet of good government.
Sadly, we cannot say that Ontario is guided by this principle of ?one law for all.? The McGuinty government passes laws and regulations and selectively decides to whom they will apply. This is certainly the case with respect to the Smoke Free Ontario Act.
Across this province, cigarette and tobacco products are being sold illegally through smoke shacks and on First Nations reserves. These illegal sales now represent 37% of all cigarettes sold in Ontario and represented a loss last year of $565 million tobacco tax dollars. These illegal sales are escalating at such a rate that by 2010, two years from now, it is estimated that 50% of all cigarette sales in Ontario will be illicit.
There are no checks on these illicit sales. No product quality standard tests. No inspections to ensure cigarette and tobacco products aren?t being sold to minors. Rather than enforcing its own law, the McGuinty government has decided to turn a blind eye and let these illegal practices continue. Instead, the McGuinty government through the Ministry of Health Promotion has decided to target the beleaguered convenience store industry.
The Smoke Free Ontario Act contains a provision whereby tobacco walls, those stacks of cigarettes behind cashier counters in convenience stores, will be banned by the end of May 2008 ? NO exceptions and NO exemptions. Convenience stores can still sell cigarettes, but the products have to be behind covers.
The problem is that the Ministry of Health Promotion only determined the dimensions of the covers at the end of January. This has only given convenience store owners FOUR months to comply with this new regulation. Further to this, with cover manufacturers focusing on chain stores ?mom and pop? convenience stores are left to fend for themselves. The Minister of Health Promotion says that her ministry is working closely with stakeholders like the Ontario Convenience Store Association. I think it would be more accurate to describe this ?working closely? as school-yard bullying.
I was kicked out of the Legislature trying to hold the Minister of Health Promotion accountable for her claims. The policy of the McGuinty government to unfairly punish law-abiding convenience store owners while ignoring those who thumb their noses at the law cannot be allowed to continue. This fight is not over.