Seniors' group CARP says it's quitting Big Tobacco sponsorships after response from fired up members

The Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) says it will never again work with Big Tobacco after getting an earful from angry members who read a CBC News: Go Public investigation last week.

The story featured a B.C. woman speaking out about a sponsorship deal CARP accepted from Canadian tobacco company Rothmans, Benson & Hedges (RBH). 

In exchange for an undisclosed amount of money, CARP invited its members to take part in a focus group on smoking alternatives to cigarettes, such as vaping products, which RBH sells.

Angry CARP members wrote to the advocacy association — sharing their emails with Go Public — requesting that their memberships be cancelled.

"Suggesting vaping as an acceptable alternative to smoking is disgraceful and clearly in the interests of the tobacco industry," wrote Margaret Brady of Whitehorse, B.C.

"I was absolutely gobsmacked," wrote Margaret Dougherty of Toronto.

"Hard to imagine that nicotine is still being peddled and there are people who will partner for profit," said Donna Mayer of Ottawa, a self-described heavy smoker who says she tried vaping to help her quit, but it didn't work. 

Last week, CARP posted a notice on its website regarding the Go Public story, claiming "only one complaint was received" about the focus group on smoking.

But two days ago, CARP president Rudy Buttignol sent an email to members, saying the group had heard from many members and chapter volunteers who "voiced their strong disagreement with any contact with a tobacco company."

Buttignol wrote that CARP had considered that exploring alternatives to cigarettes might be valuable to members who continue to smoke, adding that he had a personal interest in whether vaping might play a role in harm reduction because his father's two-pack-a-day smoking habit led to emphysema "and his eventual death."

Still, he acknowledged that many CARP members were unhappy with the tobacco sponsorship.

"Message received," wrote Buttignol. "CARP will no longer engage with tobacco companies or related entities."

The email sent to CARP members also said the advocacy group would donate the money it received from Rothmans, Benson & Hedges to a charity that cares for people severely affected by their smoking addiction.

But Ellen Gould — the Powell River, B.C., woman who first raised concerns with Go Public about the advocacy group's controversial partnership — says she's not buying CARP's explanation for the focus group.