(Montreal) While he already has seven public health recommendations for two years, the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, says he wants to first consult the CAQ caucus before taking action to protect young people against vaping.
In response to a question from Liberal MP Enrico Ciccone on Tuesday, the minister said he was going to “discuss” with his colleagues from the CAQ caucus to see “what measures will be applied in the coming weeks”.
The Liberal MP for Marquette questioned the Minister about a report by The Canadian Press according to which Quebec still has no timetable for imposing permits for the sale of tobacco and vaping products in Quebec. This measure corresponds to two of the seven recommendations of public health, namely that of requiring a permit to establish a register of points of sale and that of controlling the location of points of sale in order to keep them away from schools.
The member for Marquette said he was trying to understand “the minister’s reluctance to apply the seven recommendations of the national director of public health that he has at hand” since 2020.
“Ban flavors. What do we need? To do two hours of caucus on this? Mr. Ciccone insisted.
The Liberal spokesperson for healthy lifestyles then appealed to other elected CAQ members who want to “protect our children” by asking them to put pressure on the Minister of Health.
In response, Christian Dubé has somehow admitted that he relies on the caucus to make important decisions concerning his ministry and public health.
“We already took stock with the caucus a while ago, and I think it is appropriate now to take stock again, especially with the new statistics that have come out,” he replied.
He then recalled that the first recommendation was in the process of being implemented, namely to impose a tax on vaping products. Mr. Dubé went on to say that the process required various steps, including the establishment of a regulatory framework and sales permits.
However, the Minister reiterated that the decision to intervene to ban vaping products intended for young people, including candy flavors and attractive packaging, would be up to the CAQ caucus.
“We applied the first [recommandation], we will discuss with our colleagues to see, while waiting for the application of the procedure on the tax. We will see what measures will be applied in the coming weeks,” he concluded.
Enrico Ciccone then returned to the charge, mocking: “I will help the minister in his response. Repeat this Mr. Minister: “I will implement the seven recommendations, quickly, for the well-being of our children in Quebec.” Quite simply. »
Many tobacco and vaping organizations are concerned about the high rates of teens who say they have been introduced to vaping products or use them on a regular basis. It is estimated that one third of secondary 4 and 5 teenagers vape in Quebec.
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