Health Canada
www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Institutional links
Message from the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health
This content was archived on June 24, 2013.
Archived Content
Information identified as archived on the Web is for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It has not been altered or updated after the date of archiving. Web pages that are archived on the Web are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats on the "Contact Us" page.
National Non-Smoking Week
January 16-22, 2011
This is National Non-Smoking Week and I would like to remind Canadians about the dangers of smoking. As both Canada's Health Minister and a concerned parent, I'd like to remind Canadians that each of us has a role to play in helping prevent our youth from beginning to smoke, and to help people who do smoke, to quit.
I would like to thank the Canadian Council for Tobacco Control for leading National Non-Smoking Week. The theme for this year is "There are hundreds of reasons to quit... what's yours?"
Tobacco use is a leading cause of preventable lung disease and lung cancer in Canada. It is also a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is the most significant cause of premature death in Canada. It has negative effects on nearly every organ of the body. On average, it is responsible for more than 37,000 preventable deaths every year in Canada.
Recently, the Harper Government announced new, larger graphic health warning messages for cigarette and little cigar packages that will increase awareness of the health hazards associated with tobacco use, and further support smokers in their efforts to quit. These messages, enhanced by social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter, will provide new information on health risks. Also, our Government is working with the provinces and territories to include a pan-Canadian, toll-free, quitline number and a Web address on the new labels, putting federal, provincial, and territorial cessation phone and web resources in the hands of every smoker.
The new health warnings will build on the success of our Government's Cracking Down on Tobacco Marketing Aimed At Youth Act, which protects young people from tobacco industry marketing practices that entice them to smoke.
There is information available on the Health Canada website that can help people quit smoking. Also, advice from trained smoking cessation experts is available by calling the toll-free quitline in your province or territory. For more information about quitlines and quit smoking resources, please visit our web site at 
Go smoke free. You can also call 1 800 O-Canada to receive a free copy of the self-help guide to quitting smoking, On the Road to Quitting.
Leona Aglukkaq
Minister of Health
Government of Canada
