Tobacco lobbying preceded label retreat (Canada)

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Source: CBC News

Health Canada's abrupt decision in September to back down from expanding warning labels on cigarette packages came after tobacco company lobbyists waged a co-ordinated, sometimes secretive lobbying campaign, CBC News has learned.

An analysis by CBC News of lobby registry filings and other documents reveals tobacco executives and their paid lobbyists communicated dozens of times with key government ministries and their policy advisers, including the Prime Minister's Office.

... The CBC News investigation also reveals that in several cases, lobbyists hired by tobacco companies have close ties to the Conservatives.

In addition, Perrin Beatty, a former Conservative health minister who in the early 1990s made Canada a world leader on cigarette warning labels, registered as a lobbyist for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/12/08/tobacco-conservatives-lobbying008.html

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