Anti-smoking legislation in the territory could not only see smoking banned in all public places, but could also ban candy made to look like tobacco products.

The two recommendations are among the six included in the Report of the Select Committee on Anti-Smoking Legislation tabled in the legislature on Wednesday afternoon.

After introducing the final report, Health and Social Services Minister Brad Cathers brought forward a motion calling for legislation to be drafted and tabled based on the recommendations in the report.

The document comes following an all-party tour of the territory to hold hearings on the proposed ban. The committee was made up of Cathers, NDP MLA John Edzerza and Liberal MLA Darius Elias.

'It's obviously a great start,' Scott Kent, the regional manager for the Yukon region of the Canadian Cancer Society, said in an interview late this morning.

The society didn't get all 12 amendments and recommendations to the ban it had proposed. However, Kent said he was pleased to see the legislation brought forward originally as a private member's bill wasn't weakened in the report.

The cancer society would have liked to see things like an increase in cigarette taxes, a ban on smoking in vehicles carrying people under 19 and banning tobacco sales in pharmacies, among other proposals, but, as Kent noted, the recommendations that did come forward are good progress.

In addition to the ban on smoking in all public places and on candy cigarettes and the like, the committee also proposed:

legislation be implemented as soon as possible after it's passed, occurring in either the spring or fall rather than peak tourist season or winter;

the definition of 'public place' there be no exceptions made for bars, 'Mom and Pop' operations or temporary facilities such as tents used for special events;

banning the display and advertising of tobacco products in all retail stores with a one-year phase-in period to allow for compliance.

'I think that will give retailers time to adjust,' Kent said of the one-year grace period for ads and displays of tobacoo products in stores.

He noted that with no such legislation in place throughout the territory, this marks a positive step forward.

Kent would like to see the legislation come forward and be implemented ASAP. With the process it must go through and the recommendations, he would like to see the legislation implemented in the spring after it's likely dealt with during that period's sitting of the legislature.

This morning, Cathers said the government will be drafting a bill incorporating Bill 104 that NDP Leader Todd Hardy originally brought forward as the Smoke Free Places Act along with the additional recommendations included in the report.

Legislation is generally tabled in the first five days of the sitting, then debated during the session. Given the possible schedule, he suggested it may more likely be next fall before a ban would begin. (Whitehorse and Dawson City have municipal smoking legislation.)

Cathers noted most of the approximately 200 respondents who filled out a questionnaire or came out to a meeting supported a territory-wide smoking ban with the exception of granting the one-year grace period for businesses to stop displaying tobacco ads and products.

He noted the phase-in period was proposed because of cost implications and the time needed to change displays.

The proposal to ban smoking in vehicles where there are passengers under 19 only came in part way through the community tours and there was only limited input on it, Cathers said.

From the government's perspective, he said, there wasn't enough discussion on it and where there was, it was very controversial.

While many supported it, others thought it went one step too far into an individual's personal choice to smoke in a vehicle, he said.

Elias, who stressed he was not speaking for his caucus but more individually, said he supported moving forward with the recommendation on banning smoking in vehicles where there are people under 19. However, without consensus, the committee didn't move forward with it.

He wouldn't elaborate on why there was no consensus, noting he didn't want to reveal in-camera discussions of the committee.

'I think this is a very good start,' Elias said, noting, as Cathers did, that the process of an all-party committee was a positive approach to take on such legislation.

The $30,000 on the initiative is money well-spent, he said, pointing to the cost of caring for someone who's ill due to tobacco products.

It will now be up to the government to decide how to proceed, he said.

Kent, Cathers and Elias all praised Hardy for taking the lead and initially bringing forward the proposed ban on smoking.

'The public is ready for it, they want it, they've been waiting it for awhile,' Hardy told reporters Wednesday. 'And they want, I would say, an even stronger bill than what's been brought forward by the NDP.'

Hardy suggested Bill 104 should now be debated with any amendments coming from the report with a vote on it. Regulations could then be enacted in the spring, he noted.

'I believe if politicians are listening to the people of this territory, we will do it,' he said, noting if there are any delays, he would be disappointed.

He suggested that writing a new bill could delay it further, and noted he would welcome any debate on proposed amendments.