Canada will be the first country in the world to mandate that there be a warning on every cigarette.
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett said the proposal aims to get the message across to more people, including young people, who often share cigarettes and don’t always see the packaging.
The 75-day consultation period will begin on Saturday.
Ms Bennett also introduced expanded warnings for cigarette packs, which include a longer list of the health effects of smoking.
Canada has been in need of pictorial warnings since the turn of the millennium, but these have not been updated in over a decade.
Canadian Cancer Society analyst Rob Cunningham says Canada has also set a precedent by requiring pictorial warnings, a measure subsequently adopted by other countries.
He hopes that the warnings printed on the cigarettes will also be translated abroad.
The Canadian Press
Source: Radio-Canada
