Canada boycotts world tobacco meeting because it’s in Russia

OTTAWA – Canada is boycotting a meeting of the World Health Organization on tobacco control next week because it’s being held in Moscow.

Eve Adams, the parliamentary secretary to Health Minister Rona Ambrose, called the event a farcical international conference.

The international conference is a regular meeting of countries who are part of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Part of the conference includes a progress report on how countries are complying with the treaty, and what sort of legal challenges they’re facing from the tobacco industry.

Adams said the withdrawal from the meeting was meant to send a signal that Canada stands with the people of Ukraine against Russian aggression.

The U.S. has also said it’s not sending a delegation to the conference.