Beginning in April 1996, all federal, provincial, and territorial legislators were asked to take part in structured computer-assisted telephone interviews, which lasted an average of 25 minutes. Legislators were asked about a wide range of topics, including the role of government in tobacco control, contacts with tobacco-related interest groups, attitudes toward tobacco and tobacco control policy issues, and personal tobacco experiences.

Across Canada, a total of 553 legislators (115 federal, 438 provincial/territorial) were interviewed, yielding an overall response rate of 54%.

We hope that these findings from the Canadian Legislator Study will be useful in identifying priorities for tobacco control interventions, and in guiding your activities in support of effective public programs and policies to control tobacco use in Newfoundland and the rest of Canada.

Please feel free to distribute copies of this report to other interested persons or organizations.

The response rate affects the accuracy and the representativeness of the data. The opinions expressed by the Newfoundland MHAs surveyed may not reflect the opinions of all Newfoundland MHAs.

7 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs surveyed felt that the government has a major responsibility regarding programs and policies to prevent young people from starting to smoke.

6 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs surveyed felt that the government has a major responsibility regarding programs and policies to help people quit smoking.

7 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs surveyed said that it is very difficult for daily smokers to quit.

Half of the Newfoundland MHAs surveyed strongly agreed that second hand smoke can cause lung cancer in non-smokers.

But 7 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs who responded did not know that tobacco causes a lot more deaths among Canadians than does alcohol.

Half of the Newfoundland MHAs who responded felt that, on the whole, there was not enough contact with representatives from non-profit health organizations on tobacco-related issues.

2 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs surveyed had face-to-face contact with representatives from medical associations about tobacco-related issues over the past two years.

6 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs who responded felt that, on the whole, there was not enough contact with representatives from medical associations on tobacco-related issues.

2 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs surveyed reported that a constituent had contacted them about tobacco-related issues by mail, phone, or in-person, over the past two years.

Almost none of the Newfoundland MHAs surveyed had face-to-face contact with representatives from the tobacco industry about tobacco-related issues over the past two years.

7 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs surveyed supported the regulation of tobacco as a hazardous product.

(ii) Sales of cigarettes to minors

6 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs who responded felt that stricter rules about selling cigarettes to minors would reduce the number of young people who smoke.

7 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs surveyed supported strong penalties for store owners the second time they were convicted of selling cigarettes to minors (strong penalties consisted of either a $1000 fine or not allowing stores to sell cigarettes at all).

(iii) Cigarette taxes

6 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs who responded felt that a price increase of fifty cents to one dollar per cigarette package would reduce the number of young people who start to smoke regularly.

Half of the Newfoundland MHAs who responded felt that a price increase of fifty cents to one dollar per cigarette package would reduce the amount that adults smoked.

6 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs surveyed supported an increase of fifty cents to one dollar per package of cigarettes.

(iv) Packaging of cigarettes

4 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs who responded believed that plain packaging would reduce the number of young people who smoked.

(v) Restrictions on smoking

All of the Newfoundland MHAs surveyed supported some form of smoking restrictions in the workplace. 4 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs surveyed felt that smoking should be completely banned in workplaces.

(vi) Sponsorship and advertising

4 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs surveyed felt that the association of tobacco company names with cultural events made tobacco seem like an ordinary consumer product. Half of the Newfoundland MHAs surveyed felt that the association made no difference in the way people saw tobacco products.

4 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs surveyed supported a ban on the sponsorship of cultural events by tobacco companies.

8 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs who responded said that the government should regulate tobacco advertising, rather than allow the tobacco industry to develop its own set of guidelines.

Half of the Newfoundland MHAs surveyed reported that they were likely or very likely to be persuaded by representatives from medical associations when taking a position in caucus on legislation about tobacco.

4 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs surveyed reported that they were likely or very likely to be persuaded by representatives from non-profit health organizations when taking a position in caucus on legislation about tobacco.

None of the Newfoundland MHAs surveyed reported that they were likely or very likely to be persuaded by representatives from the tobacco industry.

2 in 10 Newfoundland MHAs who responded said a close friend or family member had died of a disease that may have been caused by smoking.