The fate of some of Canada’s most prominent cultural and sporting events has been placed in jeopardy by the recent tabling of the federal government’s tobacco control legislation, Bill C-71, in the House of Commons.
Although the bill does not prohibit tobacco manufacturers from sponsoring events, tobacco companies would be severely restricted in publicizing their participation. Brand names, in fact, would be limited to the bottom 10% of event signage.
Furthermore, tobacco manufacturers would be limited to advertising in adult publications and to adults via direct mail.
The proposed regulations severely diminish the appeal of event sponsorship for tobacco companies which provide over $60 million a year in sponsorship funding and nearly $200 million in promotional support to more than 350 groups.
Marie-Josee Lapointe, director of communications for the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers’ Council, says the commercial viability of sponsorship is severely diminished, if not almost eliminated.
‘As it stands, I think [the bill] puts in jeopardy a lot of associations, but I can’t make that call on behalf of the companies.’ She says the federal government is ‘doing through the back door what they don’t have the courage to do up front, which is placing a ban on sponsorship.’
There is no mention of a transition period in Bill C-71, which is being rushed through the House and could receive royal assent as early as spring of next year.
