Form Letters to the Editor

A letter titled "Kudos to MP for pushing tobacco act" from registered lobbyist Aaron Levo was published in today's edition of The Barrie Examiner. In his letter Mr. Levo thanks Barrie MP Patrick Brown "for his hard work and support in passing Bill C-32 (Cracking Down on Tobacco Marketing Aimed at Youth Act)". Levo goes on to praise Brown saying "...MPs like Mr. Brown have demonstrated that Parliament can rise to the challenge and work in the best interest of all Canadians". What Examiner readers may not be aware of is that identical letters to the editors were sent by Mr. Levo to other local newspapers praising all the government MPs, except the chair, on the House of Commons Health Committee: Colin Carrie, Tim Uppal, Cathy McLeod, Patricia Davidson.

Let's examine the record. According to the House of Commons web site, the Health Committee held three meetings to discuss Bill C-32 on June 9, 11, and 16. According to the minutes and transcripts of those meetings, Patrick Brown attended only two of the three meetings, and only spoke at one of the two meetings he attended, asking a couple questions in the last few minutes of the two-hour meeting. Though Mr. Brown could not apparently find time to attend the June 11 meeting, which took place between 3:34pm and 5:31pm, he did find time that evening to attend a fundraiser for a Conservative nomination candidate in Brampton.

The parliamentary record also shows that Mr. Brown did not participate in any of the debates on Bill C-32 which took place in the House of Commons on June 2, 3, and 17. Mr. Brown did make a statement which made reference to Bill C-32 on June 1.

The letter from Mr. Levo makes no mention of the fact that a private member's bill, Bill C-566, which had aims similar to Bill C-32, was introduced into the House of Commons almost a year prior by an opposition MP, but it died when Mr. Harper called an election in 2008.