Quebec takes on tobacco firms
- 12 years ago
Quebec's become the latest Canadian province to demand repayment of healthcare costs from tobacco companies.
It's filing for the equivalent of 46 billion U.S. dollars for tobacco use from 1970 up to 2030.
Justice Minister Jean-Marc Fournier says the tobacco firms knew the dangers.
SOUNDBITE: JEAN-MARC FOURNIER, JUSTICE MINISTER, SAYING (English):
"There were people who were misled, starting to smoke. Their life was changed and affected and there were costs to our health system becaue of that and because of those companies (who) did not tell of the risks associated with tobacco products."
British American Tobacco, Philip Morris, and the JTI-MacDonald Corp unit of Japan Tobacco are among the companies named in the suit.
Paul Chapman, Reuters
It's filing for the equivalent of 46 billion U.S. dollars for tobacco use from 1970 up to 2030.
Justice Minister Jean-Marc Fournier says the tobacco firms knew the dangers.
SOUNDBITE: JEAN-MARC FOURNIER, JUSTICE MINISTER, SAYING (English):
"There were people who were misled, starting to smoke. Their life was changed and affected and there were costs to our health system becaue of that and because of those companies (who) did not tell of the risks associated with tobacco products."
British American Tobacco, Philip Morris, and the JTI-MacDonald Corp unit of Japan Tobacco are among the companies named in the suit.
Paul Chapman, Reuters