History of Tobacco Control in Canada

A timeline, with the source for each step

We list only dates we could read on an official page. Some well-known events are missing because we could not confirm the date from a government or court source.

Year	What happened	Source
1963	Health Canada dates federal tobacco control history back to this year	Second legislative review report
1988	The Non-smokers’ Health Act is assented to (28 June); it comes into force on 29 December 1989 and regulates smoking in federal workplaces and certain transport	Justice Laws
1995	On 21 September the Supreme Court of Canada gives judgment in a tobacco manufacturer’s case against the Attorney General of Canada (docket 23460); the docket records the appeal as allowed	Supreme Court docket
1997	The Tobacco Act is assented to on 25 April, with limits on advertising, promotion, sponsorship and access	Justice Laws; Health Canada review
2001	Cigarette smoking among Canadians aged 15 and older is 26.8%	Second legislative review report
2004	Canada becomes a Party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control	Second legislative review report
2007	On 28 June the Supreme Court allows the federal appeals in the Attorney General’s appeals (file 30611): the challenged Tobacco Act provisions limit free expression but are a reasonable limit under section 1 of the Charter	Supreme Court docket
2008	Nova Scotia’s ban on smoking in vehicles with passengers under 19 takes effect on 1 April	Nova Scotia news release
2017	Menthol is prohibited in cigarettes, blunt wraps and most cigars from 2 October	Health Canada order SOR/2017-45
2018	On 23 May the Act is amended and renamed the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act; Canada’s Tobacco Strategy sets a goal of less than 5% tobacco use by 2035	Health Canada
2019	The Tobacco Products Regulations (Plain and Standardized Appearance) take effect	Second legislative review report
2021	A 20 mg/mL limit on nicotine in vaping products takes effect on 8 July	Nicotine Concentration in Vaping Products Regulations
2022	Smoking among those 15 and older is 11.9%, about 3.8 million people; youth 15-19 smoking is 1.6%, an all-time low	Second legislative review report
2023	The plain-packaging rules are renamed and extended to put warnings on individual cigarettes (1 August)	Second legislative review report

What the court cases did

The 1995 and 2007 rulings are bookends for how far advertising rules can go. The Supreme Court’s 1995 docket shows the appeal allowed, and The Tobacco Act followed in 1997. In 2007 the Court dealt with that newer Act and held that, even though it limits expression, the restrictions are justified. We rely on the dockets for the dates and outcomes and do not describe the reasoning beyond that.

What stayed with the provinces

Where you can smoke is mostly provincial. Nova Scotia’s vehicle rule in 2008 is one example of a provincial step; see smoking in a car with children for the current limits. The federal side, including who can be sold what, is in federal smoking laws in Canada. Packaging details are in plain packaging in Canada, and the international treaty in the WHO FCTC and Canada.

Where things stand

Smoking among those aged 15 and older fell from 26.8% in 2001 to 11.9% in 2022, according to Health Canada’s review. The strategy target of less than 5% by 2035 is the mark to watch. For current figures see smoking statistics in Canada.