Why Tobacco Control Is Important

Tobacco is by far the number one preventable cause of cancer deaths. It causes 30% of cancer deaths and, overall, it kills over 1700 Nova Scotians each year. That makes tobacco the number one preventable cause of death in the province. Reducing tobacco use is therefore critical to reducing the cancer burden in Nova Scotia.

Stay Informed

Sign up using the form on the left to receive occasional email updates about the Nova Scotia election and the Society’s work on public issues in Nova Scotia.

What We Are Proposing

Nova Scotia’s smoking rate remains above the national average. This is a big reason why Nova Scotia has the highest cancer incidence rate of any province in Canada. In collaboration with our coalition partners in Smoke-Free Nova Scotia, the Canadian Cancer Society has identified four key things the Nova Scotia government can do to reduce smoking.

1. Increase Tobacco Taxes
2. Increase Funding for Tobacco Control Programs
3. Fight Tobacco Sales to Minors
4. Sue the Tobacco Industry

Why We Are Proposing These Things 

Increasing Tobacco Taxes: Evidence shows that increasing Nova Scotia’s cigarette tax rate to 19.95 cents per cigarette, the same rate as Prince Edward Island had in 2008—09, will reduce cigarette consumption in Nova Scotia by approximately 3%, saving approximately 900 lives. Thousands of Nova Scotian youth will also be deterred from taking up smoking. Nova Scotia’s current cigarette tax rate of 16.52 cents per cigarette is only 7th highest out of the ten provinces in Canada.

On May 4, 2009, the Progressive Conservative government’s budget proposed to increase the provincial cigarette tax to 21.52 cents per cigarette. This measure would have saved approximately 1200 lives in Nova Scotia by reducing tobacco consumption by over 4%.   

Increase Funding for Tobacco Control Programs: Despite improvements in recent years, Nova Scotia’s smoking rate (19%) remains higher than the national average (18%). Evidence links funding for tobacco control programs to program effectiveness. Nova Scotia’s tobacco control funding is below the national average. An additional $2.3 million per year for tobacco control would bring Nova Scotia to $5 per capita, which the evidence shows to be the optimal level.

Fight Tobacco Sales to Minors: Most people who smoke become addicted to nicotine before the age of nineteen, so reducing youth smoking is the key to eventually eradicating smoking. Over 40% of under-aged daily smokers purchase their cigarettes illegally from licensed tobacco sellers. Almost 90% of tobacco sellers are law-abiding, but the government needs to deal more effectively with the 10% of retailers who persist in breaking the law.

Sue the Tobacco Industry: Other jurisdictions have been successful in holding the tobacco industry accountable for wrongful conduct, like misleading marketing and targeting youth, resulting in health care costs. In 2005, the Nova Scotia legislature passed an Act aimed at holding the tobacco industry accountable for their actions, but this Act has not been proclaimed into law. A health care cost recovery lawsuit could lead to the recovery of as much as $2 billion in damages from the tobacco industry.   

Where the Political Parties Stand

(Political party positions printed exactly as received from the parties.)

1) Does your party support increasing tobacco taxes in Nova Scotia?

New Democratic Party
The NDP supports measures to reduce smoking, and supports initiatives that accomplish this goal. In recent years we have seen that increasing the tax on tobacco reduces tobacco use, but we believe that such measures must happen within an overall tobacco reduction and cessation strategy.

Liberal Party
Yes.  If elected, a Liberal government would implement a tobacco tax increase equivalent to the amount announced on Monday May 4, 2009.

Progressive Conservative Party
One of the highlights contained within the budget estimates, released by Finance Minister Jamie Muir on May 4 of this year, include a significant increase in tobacco taxes. As of midnight on budget day, the tax on tobacco would have increased by five cents per cigarette, five cents per pre-proportioned tobacco stick and five cents per gram of fine-cut tobacco. Smoke-Free Nova Scotia estimates this increase will reduce consumption by just over four percent and save 1,200 lives.

Since 2001, the Nova Scotia government has been working diligently, in conjunction with the Canadian Cancer Society, Smoke-Free Nova Scotia and other related interest groups, to make strong in-roads into reversing the smoking statistics in the province. Since that time, the province has been one of the few in Canada that has reversed the smoking trends and instances of smoking-related illnesses.

Our party will continue to pursue the common goals that we, and our partners, share in reducing smoking rates in Nova Scotia.

2) Does your party support increasing funding for tobacco control in Nova Scotia?

New Democratic Party
The NDP supports the hard work of excellent organizations like the Canadian Cancer Society and recognizes the importance of their initiatives. In 2007 we called on the Conservative Government to remove the tax on smoking cessation products, and we will continue our efforts to work with groups like the Canadian Cancer Society on this front. The NDP recognizes that too many Nova Scotians use tobacco, and will work to reduce these numbers.

Liberal Party
Yes. The Liberal Party recognizes that a commitment to adequately fund and implement all components of the Tobacco Control Strategy is essential if there is to be a sustained impact and further decrease in smoking rates.

A new Liberal government will use some of the revenues received from increased tobacco taxes to gradually increase the funding of the Tobacco Control Strategy to $5 million by the end of a four year mandate.

Progressive Conservative Party
As part of our government’s renewed emphasis on keeping Nova Scotians healthy through the leadership of our first dedicated Health Promotion and Protection Department, we will continue to work to reduce the reliance on the health system through initiatives to keep our citizens healthy. As an example, our tobacco control strategy has helped cut smoking rates from 30 percent to 20 percent. Currently Nova Scotia has the lowest rate of youth smokers in the country. A PC Government will continue to focus on targeting youth before they take up the habit of smoking to further reduce the numbers.

Our government has introduced some of the most stringent and effective tobacco controls in the country. As recently as last month, our government took steps to further support tobacco control in Nova Scotia.

A change was made to the Tobacco Access Act and changes were made to the regulations surrounding the product reference guide. Our party, in partnership with interest groups still believe that restricting the promotion, display and storage of tobacco is important in the campaign to protect young people from nicotine addiction.

The changes made to the Act leave the cost of a tobacco product information brochure with the vendor. A vendor is not mandated to carry a brochure, but the Department of Health and Health Promotion does offer assistance for those vendors wishing to produce one. The department also provides the information about what the brochure can contain and that it must comply with the Federal Tobacco Act.

There is no mandate within the Act for vendors to carry brochures, so in an effort to balance budget estimates during this extraordinary fiscal year, interested vendors will cover the cost of production.

Also, in April 2008, our government formalized an agreement with Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers that provides for cash rewards to persons who provide tips that lead to the seizure of illegal tobacco products.

Our party continues to ensure that funding for tobacco control is in place, varying with budget estimates. The upcoming fiscal year will be a challenging one, but providing as much assistance as vendors need, to provide product information with customers, is still one of our most important investments.

3) What measures, if any, does your party propose to stop tobacco vendors from selling to minors?

New Democratic Party
The NDP recognizes the importance of preventing youth from smoking. This is why we introduced legislation to ban flavoured cigarillos, and have asked the Conservative Government many questions in the House of Assembly. The NDP will work with groups like the Canadian Cancer Society and Smoke Free Nova Scotia to support their initiatives.

Liberal Party
If we are to be successful in reducing the harmful effects of smoking, we need to continue to reduce youth smoking rates. Statistics show that just over 10% of licensed vendors are responsible for supplying 40% of under-aged daily smokers with cigarettes. A Liberal government would consult with all representative organizations to work towards a plan to reduce the number of licensed vendors to zero. Solutions suggested by the Canadian Cancer Society warrant consideration and would become part of the consultative process when developing a plan.

Progressive Conservative Party
Our party will continue to target youth before they take up the habit of smoking. This commitment will continue to reduce the numbers. As you are aware, the province has done a lot of work in this area.

In 2001, the province had the dubious distinction of leading the country with youth smoking rates, at 31%. In 2007, that number was reduced to the country’s lowest rate of 12%.

The 40% of vendors who sell cigarettes to minors will be in contact with one of the regional tobacco inspectors and will be fined for their violation. If citizens ever have any suspicions about a certain vendor and cigarette sales to minors, then the Health and Health Promotion web site contains all of the necessary contact information for each regional inspector. That information can be found at the following link:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/publications/TC/Information_Bulletin_2_%20May_2007.pdf

Our government passed point-of-sale legislation to discourage Nova Scotians, particularly children and youth, from tobacco use. The bill prohibits cigarettes from being advertised and displayed prominently in retail stores, pulling the plug on what are known as power walls. Exterior signage must also be eliminated. Only government authorized signage will be permitted at the point-of-sale.

4) Does your party support moving ahead with a health care cost recovery lawsuit against the tobacco industry?

New Democratic Party
The NDP urged Nova Scotia to join other provinces in a national lawsuit against the tobacco industry. We will implement the Tobacco Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act.

Liberal Party
The Liberal Caucus supported the Tobacco Damages and Health-care Costs Recovery Act passed on November 1, 2005. The potential to recover millions of dollars in costs to the health care system is an initiative that should have already been acted upon.

New Brunswick has proactively gathered a consortium of small law firms to represent New Brunswick on a contingency basis. This solution has a zero up-front cost to the taxpayer

A Liberal Government would look at all options, including the common-sense approach brought forward by the New Brunswick government, for the purpose of moving forward on this issue.

Progressive Conservative Party
Our government committed in 2006 to take action through our Bill 222 - An Act to Recover Damages and Health-care Costs from Manufacturers of Tobacco - to initiate the best possible legal action to recover the costs to our health care system caused by large multinational tobacco companies with all net proceeds being applied to health promotion programs. Options are being reviewed. A Supreme Court of Canada decision in 2005 allowing B.C. to move forward with the lawsuit to recover billions in tobacco-related health-care costs paved the way for the case to go forward. Since then, five provinces have passed legislation to allow them to sign on to the suit, and New Brunswick recently joined as well. Our lawyers are currently looking at our options. However, in 2005 we said that going after big tobacco is the logical next step in our tobacco strategy. It supports what we've done with tobacco taxes, the Smoke Free Places Act, award-winning advertising and community treatment and cessation programs.

For More Information

For more information about tobacco.

For information about the Canadian Cancer Society’s Smokers’ Helpline.