9 August 2026
By Mathew Robertson – CBC News
New warning labels can help fight messages losing effectiveness over time, says advocate
Canadian smokers have seen graphic warning labels on cigarette packaging for decades, but as of this month they will have new images that experts hope will deter smoking.
Health Canada has introduced a new slate of images, depicting everything from a cancerous colon to a baby surrounded by smoke in the shape of a skull. The images were required on packaging as of Aug. 1.
It’s joined by warnings printed directly on cigarettes themselves, including “cigarettes harm children” and “cigarettes damage your liver.”
Bringing in new graphics is important to keep their messages effective, said Geoffrey Fong, the founder and chief principal investigator of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project.
“Warning labels are not different than any other repeated communication. When you get the same message over and over again, it loses its power. It’s known as wear out,” said Fong.
According to Statistics Canada, as of 2022, Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest smoking rate of any province — something that can come at significant cost, both financially and in terms of human life.
The Canadian Cancer Society says tobacco use is the number one preventable risk factor for disease and death in the country, and 72 per cent of lung cancer cases nationwide are due to smoking tobacco.
“The health-care system is really drained with the illnesses and sicknesses that are coming from tobacco over the years, and particularly right now with our aging population,” said Kevin Coady, executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Alliance for the Control of Tobacco.
Graphic warnings on packaging are tied to smokers quitting, said Fong.
“We know that introducing graphic warning labels significantly enhances the knowledge of the harms of smoking,” said Fong.
“Preliminary analyses would suggest there is a very strong pathway directly from the warning labels through increased reactions to the warnings, to quitting attempts.”
Both Fong and Coady agree there is a need for a comprehensive approach, and a single measure is not enough by itself to deter smoking.
Both Fong and Coady say there needs to be a comprehensive approach to deter smoking, and a single measure is not enough by itself. (Health Canada)
“The key to trying to reduce use is a comprehensive strategy, it can’t be just telling people ‘don’t smoke,’ or putting ugly images on cigarette packages.”
Those measures have proven to be effective, with smoking rates decreasing over the past decades, especially among young people.
Smoking rates down, but vaping is up — so are concerns
In 2024, an estimated 13 per cent of Canadians used a tobacco product, down from 29 per cent in 2001, according to data from Statistics Canada.
However, many young people have turned to vaping. In 2024, 20 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 20-24 had vaped in the past 30 days, and 14 per cent were between the ages of 15-19.
Most vape products contain nicotine and are addictive, and many products contain cancer-causing chemicals which are inhaled deep into the lungs, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Coady said policy changes are needed to ban vape flavours and to increase the legal purchase age for the products.
“In Newfoundland, and across the country, vaping amongst young people, students in the K-12 system, is rampant. It’s out of control to a degree,” said Coady.
In a statement sent on behalf of the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Health and Community Services, spokesperson Khadija Rehma told CBC News the province is concerned with vaping and how it puts youth at risk of developing nicotine addictions.
Earlier this year the U.K. passed legislation to implement a lifetime ban on the sale of cigarettes and vapes to those born after Dec. 31, 2008. The bill seeks to create the first “smoke-free generation.”
The policy has previously gotten attention in Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2024, the province launched a survey to seek input from residents about raising the age limit to 21 for tobacco purchases, or even implementing a similar lifetime ban.
Rehma said the province is “in the process of reviewing the information received to help inform next steps.”
Coady said the impact of such a policy could be effective, but needs to be seen in the context of a comprehensive approach.
“I can see that coming to Newfoundland, as it has come to other areas of the country and the world, but if anyone is naive and thinks that if we do that then it’s all over, it’s settled, it’s done — not a chance,” said Coady.