Ottawa, Ontario – 19 January 2014
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement to mark National Non-Smoking Week, taking place from January 19–25, 2014:
"Each year, smoking takes a deadly toll on Canadians, with thousands succumbing to heart disease, lung cancer and many other illnesses that it causes. In addition to the physical damage caused by smoke and second–hand smoke, smoking also puts emotional and financial stress on families who are dealing with resulting health problems, and places a substantial financial burden on our communities and healthcare system.
"The health of Canadians is a top priority of our Government. This is why, along with provinces, territories, municipalities and other partners, we have taken substantial measures to inform Canadians about the many health risks associated with smoking, to discourage people from starting to smoke and help those who wish to quit.
"In the past five years, our Government has taken significant action to help Canadians stay smoke free. These measures include combating the trafficking and cross–border smuggling of contraband tobacco, restricting access to tobacco products, especially for youth, and prohibiting tobacco advertising in daily newspapers and free entertainment weeklies. We have also introduced new warning labels on cigarette and little cigar packages, which feature a national quitline phone number and web address for those who want to quit.
"During this year's National Non–Smoking Week, we are also launching a five–year tobacco cessation marketing campaign aimed at reducing smoking rates by helping young smokers aged 20–24 quit smoking. The "Break It Off" tobacco cessation campaign will use social media to target young Canadians who have a higher rate of smoking than the national average.
"While the work our Government has undertaken to eliminate smoking is producing encouraging results, there are still too many Canadians who smoke. That is why we will continue to work with stakeholders across the country to help Canadians become and stay smoke–free.
"I wish all Canadians a happy, healthy and smoke–free 2014."
