The NDP is calling for a territory-wide smoking ban in public places.

At a press conference at the legislature building this morning, NDP Leader Todd Hardy released the legislation his party intends to table when the house sits on Thursday afternoon.

'This is an act that will help save lives. It's a bill that will protect workers and the general public from one of the most serious health risks of all,' said Hardy.

Every other province and territory in Canada has legislation that prohibits smoking in public places to some extent.

It is simply not acceptable for Yukoners to continue to have less protection than any other Canadian, said Hardy.

The nine-page Smoke-Free Places Act states no person shall smoke in any enclosed place that includes government buildings and vehicles, the correctional centre, day cares, schools, libraries, churches, health care facilities, movie theatres, pool halls, community halls, stores, restaurants and bars.

The legislation is mirrored from Nova Scotia's, which is considered to be the best non-smoking law in Canada.

The NDP also drew in elements from other provinces and had the legislation reviewed by the legal advisor of the Canadian Cancer Society.

'I believe this bill will stand up as one of the best pieces of anti-smoking legislation in Canada,' said Hardy. 'This is the legislation Yukon people need and deserve.'

Smoking and secondhand smoke is a contributing factor in the deaths of approximately 45,000 Canadians each year. It's considered to be one of the most preventible causes of death.

The Yukon continues to have one of the highest smoking rates in Canada, at 28 per cent.

The figures for the territory are shocking, said NDP Health critic John Edzerza.

Approximately 11 per cent of Yukon adolescents smoke daily, he said, while 40 per cent are either smoking occasionally or have in the past.

For first nations adolescents, 60 per cent of girls and 47 per cent of boys smoke.

They are numbers well above the national average, said Edzerza.

'The cost to our health system is enormous, but the cost in human health and suffering is much worse,' he said.

Hardy said he is hopeful the bill isn't looked at through partisan lens and gains the unanimous support of the assembly. 'It's for the future. It's for the safety of our children, our grandchildren.'

People should not have to inhale secondhand smoke while in public places, said Edzerza.

Labour critic Steve Cardiff, who is a smoker, agreed. 'I don't believe I have a right to let my addiction put other people's health at risk.'

Cardiff said the suggestion that smoke-free places legislation would have an impact on the bottom-line of businesses in the Yukon's smaller communities is overblown.

Many businesses are happier to provide a smoke-free environment, he said, because it can reduce the costs of cleaning and maintenance, decrease the number of sick days and boost productivity.

'That's what people are looking for. A more pleasant environment to operate in, to eat their meal in, to work in, to visit with their friends,' he said.

The Yukon Party government cannot continue to permit municipalities to deal with smoking bylaws on its own, said Hardy.

'It's not a municipal issue. It's every single Yukoners' issue,' he said.

The Association of Yukon Communities (AYC) will be putting forward a resolution at its annual general meeting next month asking the territorial government to endorse a territory-wide smoking ban, said Bev Buckway, on behalf of the association.

Permitting it to be dealt with individually is confusing for Yukoners, investors and visitors, said Buckway. 'A territory-wide ban is what is needed.'

Buckway said the government has been putting off bringing forward the legislation because it was trying to gauge community and public support.

'I think the concern is mounting and it's going to be harder and harder to ignore,' she said.

Representatives from the AYC, Yukon Registered Nurses Association, Yukon Federation of Labour, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce all attended the press conference announcing the proposed legislation.

The Yukon Medical Association, the Workers Compensation Health and Safety Board, the Council of Yukon First Nations, as well as the Liberals and Yukon Party, have all been sent the bill for review, said Hardy.

'We're all saying the same thing; we just need to have the legislation behind it,' said Alex Furlong, president of the labour federation.

The federation has called on the government to put forward this type of legislation during its last four conventions, he said.

Furlong added he hopes the parties put aside party politics in considering the bill, and called on the Yukon Party and Liberals to support it.

'The time has certainly come for everybody to certainly support this legislation. It's never a good thing when the Yukon is the last in Canada to put workers' health and safety first and foremost,' he said.

Nurses see the effects of smoking and secondhand smoke daily, said Paula Bilton, president of the Yukon Registered Nurses Association.

It is not just cancer, but asthma, emphysema and lower-income families making choices about nutrition or buying a pack of cigarettes, she said.

'People have to stand up and say, Let's place some deterrents.''

Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell said his party supports the principle of the smoke-free places legislation, but feels the best course is to go to public consultation before passing the bill through the house.

The Yukon Party government had four years to act on this previously and never moved forward, he added. 'The government has dropped the ball.'

Health Minister Brad Cathers was unable to comment prior to the Star going to press this afternoon.

The bill will be called to debate on May 9 in the legislative assembly.