Statement from the Ministers of Health and Mental Health & Addictions on National Non-Smoking Week

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of premature death and disease in Canada, contributing to the deaths of approximately 48,000 Canadians each year.

This week was National Non-Smoking Week. It aims to educate Canadians about the health risks of smoking, help people quit, and deter non-smokers from starting to smoke and developing an addiction to nicotine.

Quitting smoking is not easy, but it is possible with the right tools. Health Canada has many resources available to help Canadians looking to quit, including a pan-Canadian toll-free “quitline” where trained specialists can help individuals develop a plan to quit smoking, answer questions, and provide referrals to community programs and services, where available.

Since April 2018, Canada’s Tobacco Strategy has helped Canadians with smoking cessation and has protected the health of young people, and non-smokers through more than $265 million in investments.

As part of this strategy, we partnered with the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Lung Association, the Canadian Public Health Association, and the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada to launch a multi-million social marketing campaign to encourage smoking cessation, which just started this month.

Through Canada’s Tobacco Strategy, we are working to drive down tobacco use from 13% to 5% by 2035. To achieve this goal, we put in place regulations to standardize the appearance of tobacco packages to reduce their appeal. Health Canada is also updating the health-related labelling requirements to reflect the latest scientific evidence and to help ensure that these labels remain noticeable and impactful.

We will continue to strengthen regulations to prevent youth and non-smokers from developing an addiction to nicotine and to provide Canadians with important health information on tobacco use.

Please take advantage of the free support available to help you quit smoking, and remember that you do not have to do it alone.