The Manitoba chapter president of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons is fuming over a deal the national organization made with a tobacco company.
“I personally cannot condone this,” said Carmen Nedohin, president of CARP Chapter 47.
Canada’s largest seniors advocacy group sent an email to CARP members last month inviting them to take part in a focus group to discuss “smokeless alternatives” to cigarettes, including vaping products. An accompanying survey showed the project was funded by Rothmans, Benson & Hedges (RBH), which is owned by Philip Morris International, one of the largest tobacco companies in the industry.
Nedohin said she heard from CARP members and board members Monday who were “appalled” by the arrangement with the Big Tobacco firm, and that she asked CEO Rudy Buttignol for an explanation.
Nedohin — who is the chairperson of Manitoba Public Insurance, the former chairperson of the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission and a former Manitoba Hydro board member — met with the Manitoba CARP board members to discuss the matter late Monday.
The provincial board “does not endorse any relationship with tobacco companies or any other supplier of products deemed to be harmful to older Manitobans,” she said in an email Tuesday.
“While members voluntarily participated in the focus group, and apparently were very vocal in their disdain for tobacco products, we believe this one-off situation should never be repeated,” Nedohin said.
CARP, “overall” is a valuable organization that is extremely vocal on advocating for older Canadians, she said. In Manitoba, countless volunteer hours are spent bringing in speakers to address issues timely and important for CARP members, Nedohin said. She said they advocated for legislation to establish a seniors advocate for Manitoba. It is part of an omnibus bill expected to pass in the fall when the legislature is back in session.
While the Manitoba board is accountable to its members “we will also continue to hold the national office’s feet to the fire when they falter as they did in this regard,” Nedohin said.
Manitoba is one of 10 provinces suing major tobacco companies including Rothmans, Benson & Hedges to recover the costs of providing health-care services for tobacco-related illnesses.
Rothmans, Benson & Hedges has said publicly that it wants to stop selling cigarettes by 2035 and has shifted its focus to vaping products that contain nicotine. Health Canada has advised that the aerosol can contain potentially harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde, chromium and aluminum.
The CEO of CARP — which has advocated for timelier access to cancer treatment — defended its involvement in the focus group initiated by the tobacco company.
“The purpose of the focus group was to hear about our members’ attitudes on the issue of smoking and potential new products as alternatives,” Buttignol said in an email Monday. “CARP considered this an issue of concern to our members and that the questions were worth asking.”
Participants were asked their opinions about non-combustible alternatives to cigarette smoking, including vaping products, heated tobacco products and smokeless tobacco pouches and how the government might consider regulating them, he said.
Two, one-hour sessions were held, one for current smokers and one for former or non-smokers. In total, 50 took part in the focus group and no compensation was offered for participation, Buttignol said.
Buttignol did not say how much compensation, if any, the association received from Rothmans, Benson & Hedges.
The focus group was publicized in a regular newsletter to 100,000 CARP members, and only one complaint was received, Buttignol said.
“Participants were made fully aware of the sponsoring partner both before the registration and at the start of the meeting. Participants freely expressed their opinions about smoking and its alternatives; it was universally negative,” he said. “There is no endorsement of smoking or tobacco companies by CARP.”
He didn’t say if CARP had any regrets about providing a platform for the tobacco company and the negative reaction of some of its members and chapters.
“Feedback from chapters and members is always foremost in our concerns.”
carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter
Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol.
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