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Life is like a carton of cigarettes The tobacco industry would know: the best way to fuel a habit is to create a dependence, not just among people but also among organizations--and especially in Quebec. Over the past three years, the tobacco industry has more than doubled its publicity spending on local events like the Jazz Festival and the Grand Prix--a move to maintain its prominence in Quebec life by addicting events to its funding. Meanwhile, du Maurier, for example, has rolled back its sponsorships of other jazz festivals across Canada. "During the summer we live inside a pack of cigarettes," said Louis Gauvin, spokesperson for the Coalition québécoise pour le contrôle du tabac, of the festivals that dominate the city's landscape. The tobacco industry's per capita spending in Quebec has risen from $0.52 in 1995 to $1.75 in 1998. In Ontario, by comparison, the industry spent $0.53 per capita in 1995, but now spends $1.08. Over the last three years, it has spent 70 per cent more on Quebecers than it has on the rest of Canada's population. Why Quebec? According to Gauvin, our province has long been a bastion for the industry. We are home to three of the country's four tobacco factories, as well as legions of dedicated smokers. The only way to effectively combat the influence of the tobacco industry, he says, is to enforce vigorous legislation against cigarette publicity and introduce new taxes to bump up the price of smokes. "Price has an immediate effect on youth consumption," said Gauvin. "If the choice is between a CD and a pack of cigarettes, a young person will probably choose the CD." -Dominique Ritter
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