Tobacco Control And Tobacco Industry In Canad A Case Study

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Introduction Power has the capability to influence the behavior of other people and guide the course and outcome of the events. An example of the theme would be the tobacco industry and tobacco control lobby exercising their power to influence the government. Hence, this essay will examine how the tobacco industry and tobacco control lobby exercise their power to influence and affect the process of government decision-making in tobacco control policies in Canada. Moreover, identifying the tactics and the sources of power of the two groups will determine how they affect government decision by describing the policies that the government has developed and implemented. These policies will be criticized based on their strengths and weaknesses …show more content…

For instance, they employ the people with high level of political connections and direct them as a board of directors. Imasco; Rothmans, Benson and Hedges (RBH); and RJR McDonald (RJRM) are the three leading companies accounted for almost all tobacco products produced in Canada (Irvine and Sims, 1997). All of these corporations had politician’s people on the board of directors. Particularly, the Imasco has directors that have a considerable level of political connections, and they are Bernard Roy, Rob Pritchard and Paul Martin (Lexchin, 2015). As a result, Imasco is the dominant manufacturer in Canada with a 65 percent market share and has two plants in Montreal and Guelf (Irvine and Sims, 1997). Moreover, the tobacco industry manufacturing facilities are very enormous. In 1995, Canadian consumers spent $8.1 billion on domestically produced tobacco products (Irvine and Sims, 1997). These very high domestic inputs generate substantial tax revenue that helps the productivity of the economy. Besides, the tobacco industry does have not only the wealth and capital as their source of power but also the defender of personal freedom. They promote the core values of freedom, fairness, free enterprise, and autonomy to create consistent messages and themes (Cohen, Milio, et. al, 2000). Overall, the tobacco industries are very influential in wealth and capital, but also knowledgeable and strategize to advocate their