Media Clipping — Monday, May 20, 2002, The Halifax Herald ~ THE LEADERS

100% smokes ban only way to go

By Danny Graham, Liberal Party

AS I SAT down to write this column about smoking in public places, I realized how important it was to put the issue of smoking in the broader context of the health of Nova Scotians.

Put simply, the health of too many Nova Scotians is at an unacceptably low level, and we need strong leadership to improve it.

It is difficult to write about this issue without sounding negative.

However, bold action requires that we come to grips with the real challenge and the real opportunity.

First, the challenge. When we examine collectively the level of smoking, cancer, physical inactivity, obesity, preventable illness and life expectancy of Canadians, Nova Scotia is at, or near, the bottom of the scale.

Second, the opportunity. If we can improve our health, in part through a comprehensive healthy-lifestyle and illness-prevention initiative, we can significantly reduce our direct costs for health care, justice and social services.

That said, this is about more than saving our provincial tax dollars. Over the short term, better health will decrease workplace absenteeism and increase productivity. Over the longer term, it will lead to higher education levels and a faster-growing economy. Most importantly, it will improve our individual and collective quality of life. And that is the ultimate business of government.

Governing is about making choices - for the short, medium and long term. For example, government choices of 20 years ago limited our flexibility to invest adequately in health care and education today. This highlights the importance of governing responsibly, not just for the next four years, but for the next 14 and the next 40.

Clearly, we need to have a longer vision of government in Nova Scotia if we want to leave our children a better tomorrow. The long-term vision of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party is centred on improving the health and wellness of Nova Scotians. We look forward to a day when Nova Scotia sets the standard in health and wellness in Canada. This goal makes economic and social sense, and will have a long-lasting positive impact on all Nova Scotians.

This brings us to the issue of smoking. According to a report commissioned by the government, second-hand smoke causes about 200 deaths per year in Nova Scotia. It is the leading cause of workplace death. Full smoke-free workplace legislation could reduce second-hand smoke exposure among Nova Scotians by 80 per cent, cut consumption by 20 per cent and save the province $200 million a year in health-care costs and productivity losses. Food service workers have a 50 per cent higher rate of lung cancer than the general population. Ventilation systems bring only limited improvements. The same study suggests a minimal overall impact on business for restaurants, bars and hotels, although some businesses may be more affected than others.

While the Conservative government deserves recognition for attempting to reduce smoking in public places, it has failed to make the visionary choice to ban smoking in all public places, 100 per cent of the time, and to make no distinction between the health of young and old, nighttime patrons and daytime patrons, and food service workers in smoking sections and non-smoking sections.

The government has said that its legislation is among the strongest in the country. The reality is that it does not go as far to protect the health of Nova Scotians as bylaws introduced in Kentville, Wolfville and other municipalities. Instead of showing strong leadership, the government is sending a message to these communities that they should take a step back.

Meanwhile, the Conservative government appears to concede that smoking in public places may, over the long term, be banned completely. This raises questions about whether investment by businesses in ventilation equipment and partitioning walls would be largely wasted.

Our government must show progressive and strong leadership on this issue.

The Nova Scotia Liberal Party supports a 100 per cent ban on smoking in all public places and has introduced amendments to this effect. If the Conservatives are not prepared to show this kind of leadership, we are.

Copyright © 2002, The Chronicle Herald, Reproduced with permission