Smoking rates are expected to reduce significantly in Canada
June 18, 2024
Global Korean Post
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Government of Canada shares findings from second Tobacco and Vaping Products Act legislative review.
According to the Health Canada, more than 46,000 people in Canada die because of tobacco use every year. Through Canada’s Tobacco Strategy, the Government of Canada is working to save lives and significantly reduce the number of Canadians who smoke cigarettes and use other tobacco products from the current rate of 12% to less than 5% of the population by 2035.
Yesterday, Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, tabled the results of the second legislative review of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA) in Parliament. This review will help to monitor the progress made in reducing tobacco use and its harms throughout the country. It complements the first review which focused on the TVPA’s vaping-related provisions, tabled in Parliament in December 2022.
Overall, the results of the legislative review show that progress has been made in reducing tobacco-related death and disease in Canada. For example, youth smoking rates were at an all-time low of 1.6% in 2022.
However, some communities and regions continue to have disproportionately high rates of tobacco use with some populations experiencing smoking rates of over 60%. The review identifies potential action areas including prioritizing First Nations, Inuit and Métis engagement, cooperation and reconciliation; addressing barriers to cessation; strengthening enforcement; increasing transparency; addressing industry interference; and ensuring the legislative framework is responsive to modern realities.
The Tobacco Act was amended in May 2018 to become the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA). The TVPA and other legislation pieces created a new legal framework for regulating vaping products. As such, the TVPA includes a set of objectives related to tobacco as well as to vaping.
The TVPA includes a requirement for a legislative review three years after coming-into-force, and every two years thereafter. Periodic reviews provide a means to examine and respond to tobacco and/or vaping related issues that may emerge over time.
