How to Quit Smoking in Canada
Key takeaways
Most provinces run a free quitline or program, and Health Canada lists a national quit line at 1-866-366-3667. Health Canada notes that within 24 hours of quitting the risk of a heart attack begins to drop, and within weeks breathing eases and coughing lessens.
Support you can use today
Health Canada’s quit-smoking page walks you through deciding to quit and points to tools for a smoke-free life, including videos and an online quit planner. Its page of provincial and territorial quit services lists one national toll-free number, 1-866-366-3667, where you can talk to a quit coach.
Your province may run its own program too. AlbertaQuits has a helpline at 1-866-710-7848. British Columbia’s QuitNow is at 1-877-455-2233. In Nova Scotia you reach the quit line by dialling 811. Tobacco Free NB in New Brunswick is at 1-866-366-3667, and Smokers’ Helpline in Newfoundland and Labrador is at 1-800-363-5864. The free help by province page has the full table and what each program includes.
What Health Canada says you gain
- Within 24 hours, the risk of a heart attack begins to drop.
- Within weeks, you breathe easier and cough less.
- After one year, the risk of coronary heart disease is half that of someone who smokes.
- After 10 to 15 years, the chance of getting cancer decreases by about half.
The sources are on the page about what smoking does to the lungs and what changes afterwards.
Look at your own numbers
Many people find it easier to decide once they see their own figures. The cost of smoking calculator shows what you spend. The quit-smoking savings calculator shows what you keep from your quit date. The pack-year calculator turns your smoking history into the number doctors use.
Ask about medication
Some medications are covered in some provinces. British Columbia’s PharmaCare covers bupropion and generic varenicline for smoking cessation depending on the plan, and Ontario’s drug formulary limits varenicline for adult smoking cessation to 12 weeks per 365 days. A pharmacist or doctor can tell you what applies to you. We do not recommend a treatment.
If you vape
Some programs help with vaping too. AlbertaQuits, for example, is a free program for people who want to stop smoking or vaping, and it has a helpline. Ask your province’s quit program whether it supports vaping.
In this section
- After a slip
- Choose a quit method
- Cold turkey or cut down
- Craving and slip support
- First week
- Free quit help by province
- Help someone quit
- How long cravings last
- Indigenous quit support
- Nicotine dependence
- Nicotine replacement products
- Pharmacy quit programs
- Quit medications
- Quit plan builder
- Quit savings calculator
- Quit vaping
- Quit when others smoke
- Quit while pregnant
- Quitting timeline
- Savings after 5, 10, 20 years
- Smoke-free days counter
- Triggers and replacements
- Weight gain and mood
- What's free for me
- Youth quit programs
Health information is general and educational. It does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or nurse. Read the full disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first step to quit smoking?
Health Canada offers a guide to deciding to quit and an online quit planner on its quit-smoking page. A call to your province's quitline is another practical first step, because the coach can explain what is free where you live.
Is help to quit free?
Often. Several provinces fund free quitlines, and some provide free nicotine replacement products to eligible residents. See the province-by-province table for what we have confirmed.
How soon do health benefits begin?
Health Canada says that within 24 hours of quitting the risk of a heart attack begins to drop, and that within weeks breathing gets easier and coughing lessens.
Sources
- Health Canada: quit smoking — Health Canada. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Provincial and territorial quit services — Health Canada. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- My reason to quit smoking (infographic) — Health Canada. Accessed October 27, 2026.