Canada continues its historic commitment to the fight against tobacco

First launched in 1977 by the Canadian Council for Tobacco Control, National Non-Tobacco Week, which runs from January 16 to 22, 2022, aims to raise awareness about the risks of tobacco, prevent youth from starting to smoke while supporting smokers who want to quit and promoting tobacco-free and smoke-free spaces across the country. It is one of the longest public health events in Canadian history and is particularly followed in Quebec.

For the occasion, the Quebec Council on Tobacco and Health (CQTS) is particularly alerting about the situation in its province and reminding that, just like the Covid19 pandemic, smoking remains a major public health issue. It is estimated that 13,000 Quebecers die prematurely each year due to smoking and that 400,000 live with a serious illness related to smoking. For this edition, the CQTS wishes, through short videos broadcast online and on social networks, to give a voice to victims of smoking in order to demonstrate the devastating effects of tobacco on the health of smokers and on the lives of their loved ones, who are inevitably affected.

Strategy for a tobacco-free Quebec by 2025

Quebec public health authorities want the smoking rate in Quebec to decrease by almost half over the next five years to represent approximately 10% of the Quebec population. The Strategy for a Tobacco-Free Quebec 2020-2025, announced in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis at the end of May 2020, proposes four areas of intervention: denormalizing smoking, preventing smoking and vaping, supporting smoking cessation, and protecting against second-hand and third-hand smoke. According to the latest consumer surveys, the smoking rate in Quebec (all age groups combined) is around 18%, but it is higher in certain categories of the population. As a result, special attention will be paid to vulnerable populations. This attention will also focus on how health-related social inequalities lead to higher smoking rates. This situation is particularly true for people on low incomes, young adults, people suffering from mental illness, as well as indigenous populations.

The goal of a tobacco-free generation by 2035 nationwide

Nationally, although smoking rates continue to decline, 15% of Canadians aged 12 and over still smoke regularly.[1]Tobacco continues to be the leading cause of disease and death in the country with 48,000 premature deaths.

In 2018, the country launched Canada's new Tobacco Control Strategy, which is supported by C$330 million in funding over five years.[2]. It aims to achieve a smoking rate of 5,% maximum by 2035 for the entire population of Canada. This strategy is based on the provisions of the new Tobacco and Vaping Products Act and includes proven measures implemented at the federal level. In addition, there are targeted approaches aimed at population groups where smoking prevalence is higher.

Several provinces have overtaken federal laws for certain measures. The territory of Nuvanut for example, in its new Tobacco and Vaping Products Act of May 2021, extended the smoking and vaping ban to publicly-owned rental housing and Nunavut government staff housing. Prince Edward Island is the only Canadian jurisdiction with a minimum legal age of sale of 21. This measure was adopted in December 2019 and came into effect on March 1, 2020.

Keywords: Canada, Quebec, no tobacco week, smoking

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