Bruce Grey Owen Sound MPP Bill Murdoch is getting the brush off from the Minister of Health Promotion over his concerns about lack of enforcement of tobacco rules on local First Nations.
He says Minister Margaret Best refused to answer his question in the Legislature about whether the Government has told the Grey Bruce Health Unit not to enforce the act when it comes to natives selling cigarettes.
Murdoch claims the Health Unit has been told verbally by the Government not to enforce the tobacco laws on reserves and they now looking for some written direction from the Ministry of Health Promotion before they do anything.
The Independent MPP maintains until the Health Unit gets that directive, they should be enforcing the Smoke Free Ontario Act on local First Nations.
The law makes it illegal to display cigarettes for sale and also makes it illegal to sell to cigarettes to people under 19 years of age.
He says the law should be for everybody and if the government wanted exemptions they would have included that in the legislation.
Murdoch says another concern is the fact Non Natives purchasing smokes on reserves are not paying any tax on the tobacco, and that is costing the government about one billion dollars annually in lost revenue.