What

Next week is National Non-Smoking Week (NNSW) – an annual campaign to educate people in Canada about the health effects of smoking and support people in quitting.

When

Sunday, January 18 to Saturday, January 24.

Why

NNSW has been observed annually in Canada every January since 1977. Despite decades of progress, millions of Canadians continue to smoke, and youth vaping rates remain a major concern.

How

Spokespeople from the Canadian Cancer Society are available for interviews to discuss tobacco control issues generally, including needed policy measures.

Key facts

• There are still 3.6 million people in Canada who smoke, representing a current smoking prevalence of 11% (Canadian Community Health Survey, 2024, age 18+). In 1965, 50% of Canadians smoked, including 61% of men.
• Tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death in Canada, killing 46,000 Canadians each year, including about 30% of all cancer deaths. 
• Direct health care costs in Canada from tobacco are $5.4 billion per year.
• High rates of youth vaping are of tremendous concern, with a new generation of youth becoming addicted to e-cigarettes. A stunning 27% of high school students in Canada in grade 12 vape (Canadian Student Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2023), compared with 9% in 2014-15 (Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey).
• Provinces and territories will collectively receive over time $24.7 billion in funds from the 2025 tobacco lawsuit settlement, providing a historic opportunity to strengthen government tobacco control strategies.
• An enormous amount of work needs to be done to achieve the objective of under 5% tobacco use by 2035.