TORONTO - Ontario can't wait until the end of the year to decide whether to join other provinces in banning smoking in cars that carry kids, health advocates said Tuesday as they called on the Liberals to mark national non-smoking week by moving ahead with the ban.

A private member's bill, which would ban drivers from smoking while carrying young passengers, was recently introduced by a Liberal backbencher but isn't scheduled for debate until October.

Health groups say that's too late for many youngsters who will be exposed to harmful second-hand smoke and put at risk for infections, asthma and heart disease in the meantime.

"Every day that goes by, there are people smoking in cars with kids," said George Habib, president of the Ontario Lung Association.

"Every day that goes by, there are kids being exposed to second-hand smoke across the province. The sooner this gets passed, the sooner we can stop that."

Nova Scotia recently banned smoking in cars where kids are present, as have jurisdictions in the United States and Australia. New Brunswick has said it is considering a similar ban while a private member's bill banning the practice provincewide has also been introduced in British Columbia.

Premier Dalton McGuinty initially dismissed the idea in Ontario a year ago, saying it was a slippery slope. But recently McGuinty called smoking inside a car with a child "reprehensible" and said he welcomed the debate on a ban.

The governing Liberals have the power to fast-track a ban when the legislature resumes sitting in the spring, Habib said.

"It is gaining momentum in other provinces," said Habib, adding he hopes it's just a matter of time before Ontario follows suit.
 

Janice Willett, head of the Ontario Medical Association, said Ontario can't afford to drag its heels on the issue. While she said it can take some time for legislation to make its way through the necessary bureaucratic channels, Willett said protecting children's health should be a top priority.

"I sure hope it's at the top of their docket," she said.

Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke in a car will suffer from asthma, ear infections and numerous long-term health problems, she added.

"Sooner is better for the health of these children that are involved," Willett said. "For the physicians of Ontario, we really think this is a no-brainer . . . It's about protecting the most vulnerable who can't protect themselves."

Minister of Health Promotion Margarett Best said she's content to let the legislative process take its course and debate a ban at the end of the year. Ontario already has some of the toughest anti-smoking rules in Canada and parents have to take some responsibility, she said.

"We're hoping that parents will stop and think when they go to light up," Best said. "Parents have a responsibility to ensure the safety and the well-being of our children. They should take responsibility to not light up in front of their children in a car - or anywhere else, for that matter."

New Democrat France Gelinas said the Liberals' reluctance to ban smoking around young kids in cars shows they don't understand the importance of health promotion. Making sure people are healthier and smoke less is the best way to take the pressure off the health care system in the long run, she said.

"The Liberals pay lip service to health promotion," Gelinas said. "This could have gone a lot faster. Now it's going at the speed of Queen's Park."

Source : The Canadian Press