MPs call for crackdown on contraband cigarettes

Two members of Parliament on Monday called for stricter federal controls to curb the distribution of contraband tobacco, saying the illegal cigarettes are posing a threat to public health across the country.

At a press conference in Ottawa, Liberal MP Keith Martin representing the B.C. riding of Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca called on the federal government to enact legislationrevoking the licences of manufacturers of contrabandand to introduce tracking and tracing measures to monitor tobacco shipments.

Martin was joined by Quebec Bloc MP Serge Mnard of Marc-Aurle-Fortin as well as the Canadian Coalition for Action on Tobacco. The panel warned that cheap, contraband cigarettes had made their ways into the schools.

The loss in taxes was estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars, the group added.

"We're just bringing up an issue that is getting progressively worse," Martin said. "Most Canadians don't understand how prevalent it is."

Martin noted the majority of contraband cigarettes are produced by organized crime groups in the U.S.

Contraband tobacco represents between 30 and 40 per cent of tobacco consumed across the country, said Liberal MP Lloyd St. Amand from Ontario's riding of Brant.