1950 | First modern studies published regarding the relationship between smoking and lung cancer |
1963 | Canadian Health Minister Judy LaMarsh concludes that smoking is a contributory cause of lung cancer |
1964 | US Surgeon General Advisory Committee concludes that smoking causes lung and laryngeal cancer in men and is a probable cause in women |
1969 | House of Commons Standing Committee on Health, Welfare and Social Affairs recommends that tobacco advertising be banned and that a warning be placed on packages |
History of tobacco control
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1950s and 1960s
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1970s and 1980s
1970s Municipalities begin to adopt bylaws to restrict smoking in public places 1972 Tobacco industry withdraws direct tobacco advertising from radio and television and places a weak health warning on the side of cigarette packages 1988 Tobacco Products Control Act adopted to ban tobacco advertising 1989 Tobacco Products Control Regulations require a series of 4 text health warnings to cover 20% of the package front and back -
1990s
1991 Federal tobacco taxes increased by $6 per carton – the largest federal increase in Canadian history
All provinces and territories have used tobacco tax increases as a means to decrease smoking
1993 Tobacco Sales to Young Persons Act adopted to increase the minimum federal age for tobacco sales to 18 from 16 effective in 1994 1994 Tobacco Products Control Regulations amended to require a series of 8 black and white health warnings covering 35% of the package front and back
Ontario becomes first province to ban tobacco sales in pharmacies– all provinces except British Columbia have since done so
1996 Vancouver becomes first municipality to adopt a bylaw requiring restaurants to be 100% smoke-free 1998 Tobacco Act amended to prohibit tobacco sponsorships, effective in 2003
British Columbia becomes first province to file medicare cost recovery lawsuit against the tobacco industry –all provinces would subsequently do the same
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2000s
2000 Tobacco Products Information Regulations adopted to require world precedent setting picture-based warnings covering 50% of the package front and back
Canadian Cancer Society establishes Smokers’ Helpline in Ontario, providing smokers a toll-free service for assistance on how to quit
The Society would later provide a similar service in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the Yukon
2001 Saskatchewan becomes first province to adopt legislation to prohibit visible display of tobacco products at retail, effective in 2002 –all provinces and territories would later do the same
2003 WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control – the international tobacco control treaty –approved, effective in 2005
2004 Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories and Nunavut become first provinces/territories to adopt legislation making all restaurants and bars 100% smoke-free – all provinces and territories have now done so 2008 Wolfville, NS becomes the first municipality to ban smoking in vehicles with kids – this would later be implemented by provincial legislation in all provinces 2009 Parliament amends the Tobacco Act to ban flavoured cigarettes and some little cigars (effective in 2010) and ban print advertising
2012 New federal regulations come into effect increasing the size of health warnings to 75% of the front and back of cigarette packages and including a toll-free quitline number and web address in the warnings
2015 Nova Scotia becomes the first jurisdiction in the world to ban flavours including menthol in tobacco products, and is followed by other provinces
Read the Society’s news release, May 29, 2015
Quebec Superior Court awards $15.5 billion in class action against three major tobacco companies
2017 National ban on menthol cigarettes takes effect
2018 Federal Minister of Health establishes objective of under 5% tobacco use by 2035
What’s the lifetime risk of getting cancer?

The latest Canadian Cancer Statistics report shows about half of Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.