What we are advocating for right now
Provinces have filed lawsuits against tobacco companies seeking more than $500 billion in compensation for tobacco-related health care costs. Settlement negotiations are now under way. It is essential that provinces make public health measures to reduce tobacco use the priority in negotiations.
The tobacco industry has caused the tobacco epidemic and should pay for government costs to respond to the epidemic. This is based on the polluter pays principle and holding the tobacco industry accountable. The US has had a tobacco fee in place since 2009, which is recovering US $712 million annually. Federally, Canada has implemented a similar fee on the cannabis industry, which is set to recover $112 million annually by 2022. If there can be a federal cost recovery fee on the cannabis industry, we believe that a cost recovery fee on the tobacco industry is also feasible.
A cost recovery fee would generate $66 million in incremental annual government revenue, which could be used for government priorities.
Increasing the price of cigarettes is the most effective way to encourage smokers to quit and to prevent youth from starting to use tobacco. A price increase of 10% will generally result in a decrease in consumption of 4%. The federal government should implement a tobacco tax increase, providing both public health and public revenue benefits.
Cigarette package health warnings in Canada have improved over time:
- In 1989, regulations required a series of 4 text warnings covering 20% of the package front and back.
- In 1994, regulations required text warnings in black and white to cover the top 35% of the package front and back.
- In 2001, Canada became the first country to require picture warnings and the first country to mandate 50% of the package front and back.
- In 2012, picture warnings were required to cover 75% of the package front and back. CCS strongly supports these warnings.
Canada’s warnings are now among the best in the world, but many product categories are not covered by these regulations. As a next step, the health minister should renew warnings for all other tobacco products. Warnings for roll-your-own tobacco, smokeless tobacco, cigars and pipe tobacco have not been changed since 2001. Well-designed health warnings are effective at increasing awareness and decreasing tobacco use.
Since 2008, the Canadian Cancer Society has published Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status Report approximately every 2 years. The report examines the use of cigarette package warnings by countries around the world and ranks countries based on warning size and if picture warnings are required. Read our media release coinciding with the 2021 report.
The 2021 report is available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Portuguese. You can access any of these versions at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids website.
Tobacco products in fruit, candy, and other flavours strongly appeal to youth. CCS is calling on the health minister to ban flavours in all tobacco products, following the example of an increasing number of provinces and building on existing federal regulations including the ban on menthol cigarettes in 2017.
In Canada, there is tremendous momentum towards making university and college campuses 100% smoke-free, including outdoors. Policies for 100% smoke free campuses not only provide protection from second-hand smoke, but also discourage tobacco use among youth. Many campus policies also apply to smoking of anything, including cannabis, as well as use of e-cigarettes and any tobacco product. Read more in University and College 100% Smoke-Free Campuses in Canada: National Status Report.
Tobacco control Quebec
Every province and territory in Canada has different restrictions on tobacco use, sale and advertising. In Quebec, there is a lot the government can do to help protect against the harms of tobacco and to address the rising rates of youth vaping, including:
Raise tobacco taxes to the same level as other provinces while maintaining efforts to address cigarette smuggling
Quebec has the lowest tobacco taxes in the country. CCS is urging the Government of Quebec to raise the tobacco tax rates to be at least comparable to those in Ontario, which are the second lowest in the country. Higher cigarette prices discourage non-smokers from starting and former smokers from taking it up again.
In parallel with higher taxes, it is important to continue to address cigarette smuggling. Cigarette smuggling refers to the illicit transportation of cigarettes or cigars from a province with low taxation to a province with high taxation for sale and consumption. These efforts will help to protect the valuable gains in tobacco control made in the province through taxation and other measures.
Implement a cost recovery fee on the tobacco industry
CCS is calling on the Government of Quebec to help hold the tobacco industry accountable for the damaging health effects of tobacco use by introducing a cost recovery fee on the tobacco industry. The fee would help cover the cost of tobacco reduction programs in Quebec. This approach is similar to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration tobacco strategy fee (in place since 2009) and the Canadian federal cannabis annual regulatory fee. Quebec already has a provincial cost recovery mechanism in place for cannabis; we are calling on the same fee for tobacco.
According to a 2019 Ipsos poll, 91% of Quebecers support making the tobacco industry pay for programs to reduce smoking. The fee would generate approximately $30 million in annual revenue for the Quebec government. Tobacco companies would pay a fee based on their market share.
Raise the minimum age for the sale of tobacco and e-cigarette products to 21
Currently in Quebec, the minimum age for tobacco and e-cigarettes is 18. A study completed by the Institute of Medicine found that increasing the minimum age from 18 to 21 across the US would reduce youth smoking by 25% among 15-17-yearolds and by 15% among 18-19-year-olds by making these products harder to access. CCS is calling on the Quebec government to raise the minimum age for the sale of tobacco and e-cigarette products to 21, as it is in Prince Edward Island and across the United States in at least 18 states and 480 municipalities.
Regulate e-cigarettes to discourage youth vaping
The effectiveness of electronic cigarettes as a tool to quit smoking have yet to be fully tested and while less harmful than conventional cigarettes, they do still cause harm. The National Public Health Director of Quebec and Health Canada advise against the use of e-cigarettes, particularly amongst youth.
CCS recommends that the government:
- Limit the maximum nicotine concentration in e-cigarette products and vaping liquid to at most 20 mg/mL
- Restrict the flavours of e-cigarette products and limit the sale of flavoured e-cigarette products to adult specialty store
- Raise the minimum age for the sale of e-cigarette products to 21
Implement a tax on e-cigarette products
E-Cigarette use among young people has increased dramatically. Data from the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs Survey indicates that youth vaping has doubled over a two-year period and tripled over a four-year period (2014-2019). Just as tobacco taxes are a highly effective means of preventing and reducing tobacco use among youth, the same is true for e-cigarettes. Youth have less disposable income and are more price-sensitive consumers.
The Canadian Cancer Society urges the Government of Quebec to address the dramatic increase in youth e-cigarette use by implementing a tax on e-cigarettes. In addition, a tax can serve as a revenue tool to fund programs to increase youth knowledge regarding the risks of vaping and as well as other initiatives to reduce youth use of e-cigarettes.
British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have announced taxes on vaping products. We urge Quebec to follow suit.
Establish a permit fee for the sale of tobacco products
In Quebec, the Tobacco Tax Act and the Tobacco Control Act already requires all tobacco vendors to get a permit, but there is no fee associated with obtaining it. The government should charge a fee of at least $1 per day to cover the cost of administration, application, enforcement, and vendor training associated with the permit.
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and at least 25 municipalities in Canada charge a permit fee. Quebec charges a similar fee to restaurants, who must pay $585 annually for a permit to sell alcohol.
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