The following statement was issued today by Elizabeth Marshall, Minister of Health and Community Services. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Minister discusses Clear the Air - It's Our's to Share, Smoke Free Spaces project

I rise today to inform the House of an important provincial pilot project, Clear the Air � It�s Ours to Share, Smoke Free Spaces to address the issue of our youth and the harmful effects of second hand smoke. This initiative is a joint project with Health Canada, and the province�s departments of Health and Community Services and Education.

Health Canada reports that last year, 31 per cent of children in Newfoundland and Labrador were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke in the home and face health risks as a result of this exposure. Exposure to secondhand smoke also causes more than 8,000 childhood illnesses each year in this province and over one hundred people in this province die each year as a result of diseases related to secondhand smoke.

Nine provincial schools are using a Smoke-Free Spaces Activist Toolkit CD Rom to engage youth in taking action to create smoke-free environments in their schools, homes and communities.

This resource provides young people with the inspiration and information they require to become effective advocates for creating smoke-free environments. All schools have participated in a one-day orientation workshop and a brainstorm session on potential action plans to be implemented in their school or community.

To date, some of the priority areas that youth have identified include developing a smoke-free school policy, educating parents and family members about the benefits of creating smoke-free homes, and creating smoke-free spaces in local public buildings.

The project will also build on and support current actions being taken in our province to create smoke-free public places, workplaces and homes.

The activities that youth in our schools have engaged in include erecting signs throughout the community with messages about the benefits of a smoke-free environment and writing a play to deliver messages to younger students and parents.

I=m sure Members of the House will join me in congratulating our youth who are participating in this pilot project. The project is a valuable resource in not only reducing the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, but also empowers our young population.

In our Blue Print for the Future this government made a commitment to co-ordinate policies and spending in ways that lead to a healthier population and less demand for treatment of acute and chronic illnesses. Clear the Air - It's Ours to Share, Smoke-Free Spaces Pilot Project allows our youth to play an active role in promoting a healthier population as well as investing in a healthier future.

2004 03 29                                        1:55 p.m.