Meeting of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Tobacco Control

Summary Report - Delta Chelsea Hotel, Toronto, Ontario , April 10-11, 2006

1. Agenda April 10-11, 2006 Meeting

The Meeting Agenda was approved as circulated.

2. Welcome

The Chair welcomed to the Ministerial Advisory Council on Tobacco Control (MACTC) the Council Members, the Director General from the Tobacco Control Programme (TCP), and the Health Canada staff.

3. Round Table - Check-in

The Chair invited MACTC members to share initiatives in their respective areas.

4. Minutes - October 6-7, 2005 Meeting - Approval

The minutes from the October 6-7, 2005 meeting were unanimously approved and will be posted on the website.

5. Tobacco Control Programme Update

The Chair formally welcomed Cathy Sabiston in her new position as Director General of the Tobacco Control Programme (TCP). The Director General reported that the TCP is at the 5th year end point of a ten year strategy. While there has been great headway made, tobacco use still remains the number one cause of preventable death. EKOS Research Associates has been enlisted to evaluate the relevance and design and delivery of the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy (FTCS), including the use and value of partnerships and any barriers facing stakeholders in working with the Tobacco Control Program (TCP). Consultations with committee members will be sought and an assessment report is expected to be finalized in the early fall of 2006. The TCP will then be in the position to determine long-term goals and key messages going into the next five years and beyond.

World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)

The first session of the FCTC Conference of Parties (COP) took place in Geneva from February 6-17, 2006. The Canadian delegation has made a significant contribution to the Convention, which is one of the most highly embraced treaties in the history of the United Nations. The Federal Minister of Health is very supportive of Canada's international role in this regard. During the two-week meeting the COP made some key decisions about the future governance of the convention.

Andy Hazlewood summarized a presentation that he made at the FCTC COP regarding the tobacco health care cost recovery litigation in British Columbia. The lawsuit seeks to hold tobacco manufacturers accountable for tobacco related health care costs caused by their wrongful conduct relating to the sale of cigarettes in BC. The litigation had two public health objectives: 1) to change industry behaviour and 2) to obtain full public disclosure of the health risks and addictive properties of tobacco and the conduct of tobacco manufacturers in relation to this. The Recovery Act confers upon the government the right to sue to recover the tobacco related health care costs that were incurred as a result of a breach of duty owed to consumers in BC. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the procedures set out in the Act are fair and that the tobacco manufacturers will receive a fair trial. BC would be willing to meet with those interested in more information about this constitutionally valid statute.

Tobacco and Public Health: From Theory to Practice

The Director General introduced via conference call: Joanne McCabe, Lorie Dunbar and Dr. Joanna Cowen, Associate Director of the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit (OTRU), the research component of the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy. This team has developed an online course that features comprehensive evidence-based Canadian content that will help participants become more effective in their tobacco control work. It is geared to individuals in public health units, government, and non-government organizations (NGOs), universities and other health research settings. The course is funded by Health Canada with additional support from the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion.

5.1 Tobacco Control: What The Future Holds

Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative: Business Planning

This presentation was conducted by Cheryl Moyer, Director, Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative (CTCRI), Oonagh Maley, CTRCI, Paul Smetanin, President & CEO of Risk Analytica, and Alexei Pavlichev, Risk Analytica. This group worked together on a funded project, the goal of which was to identify and map future directions for tobacco control research in Canada. Risk Analytica is a company that provides risk management theory and management decision analysis. Their methodology was applied to convert the quantitative and qualitative data supplied into possible future return scenarios, based on the interaction between relative risk and prevalence rates, government and private sector spending and revenue. An external peer review has been completed and a final version will be distributed to the MACTC members when finalized.

BC Act Now

A. Hazlewood presented a brief overview of the British Columbia "Act Now" initiative as an example of an integrated chronic disease prevention strategy. The goal of the strategy is to obtain cross-Ministry support to build community capacity to create healthier, more sustainable and economically viable communities via risk factor modification, in particular: decreasing tobacco use; healthy eating; physical activity; and making healthy lifestyle choices while pregnant.

6. Presentation Summary

Presentations made to the MACTC over the last two years were reviewed with the intention of identifying unanswered questions or unexplored options. This will assist in both finalizing the annual report (see Item 7.0) and in focusing on the themes the MACTC may want to emphasize in the plan for the future.

7. Annual Report 2004-2006

The Council reviewed the draft report with regards to content and construction. The requested revisions were noted and will be incorporated into a new draft for final review and sign-off in September 2006.

8. Role and Priorities for MACTC

Six important themes were identified to be included in the future directions: 1) Cessation; 2) Nicotine Replacement Therapies; 3) Marijuana/Alcohol/Tobacco Linkages; 4) Wait Times in the context of tobacco control; 5) Integration and 6) Public Responsiveness.

9. Future Business

The MACTC Annual Report will be prepared after the next meeting and cover the work of Council over 2 years (2004-2006).

10. Closing

There being no further business, the Chair thanked the Council for their contribution and the meeting was adjourned.

Appendix I Meeting Participants - April 10-11, 2006

MACTC Members:

Present:

Patricia Petryshen, Chair
Atul Kapur
Anne Royer
Elinor Wilson
Sonia Isaac-Mann
Andrew Hazlewood
Anne Lavack
Ken Kyle
Prabhat Jha

Regrets:

Robert Froese
Deborah Schwartz
Mark Clifford Taylor

Health Canada (TCP)

Present:

Cathy Sabiston
Brenda Paine
Paula Alphonse

Guest Speakers:

Joanna Cowen, Associate Director of the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit (OTRU)
Joanne McCabe, TCP
Lorie Dunbar, TCP
Cheryl Moyer, Director, Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative (CTRCI)
Oonagh Maley, CTRCI
Paul Smetanin, President & CEO, Risk Analytica
Alexei Pavlichev, Risk Analytica