Program directory · Health Canada
Tobacco Control
- Department
- Health Canada
- Program code
- BVH12 (H)
- Core responsibility
- Health Protection and Promotion
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
The objective of Canada’s Tobacco Strategy, which is led by the Tobacco Control Program, is to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use in Canada to less than 5% by 2035 through efforts to prevent the uptake of tobacco use by youth and non-tobacco users and to help those who currently use tobacco to quit and aims to minimize risks to the health of Canadians resulted from the use of tobacco and vaping products. The Tobacco Control Program also addresses the health risks associated with the use of vaping products and works to prevent their use among youth and non-tobacco users. The Program administers the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, which provides the legal framework for regulating the manufacture, sale, labelling, and promotion of tobacco and vaping products. The Program also supports scientific research, surveillance, policy and regulatory development, public education and outreach, and compliance and enforcement activities for tobacco and vaping products. In addition, the Program works with federal partners and collaborates with key stakeholders including, but not limited to, provincial and territorial governments, health professionals, and civil society.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tobacco Control | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $220M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Spending $35.3M, against $26.5M in 2018-19 (+34%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Indicators added: Percentage of Canadians (aged 12+) who are current cigarette smokers (by sex and overall) | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of Canadian students (grades 7-12) who have used a vaping product (e-cigarettes only) in the past 30 days (Females); Percentage of Canadian students (grades 7-12) who have used a vaping product (e-cigarettes only) in the past 30 days (Males); Percentage of Canadian students (grades 7-12) who have used any tobacco product in the past 30 days; Percentage of Canadian students (grades 7-12) who have used any tobacco product in the past 30 days (Males); Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who have used any tobacco product in the past 30 days; Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who have used any tobacco product in the past 30 days (Females); Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who have used any tobacco product in the past 30 days (Males) | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Spending $24.5M, against $35.3M in 2019-20 (−31%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Indicators added: Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who are current cigarette smokers | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of Canadians (aged 12+) who are current cigarette smokers (by sex and overall) | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Spending $31.6M, against $24.5M in 2020-21 (+29%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Indicators added: Percentage of youth aged 12 to 17 who reported that they currently smoke; Percentage of youth aged 12 to 17 who reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of Canadian students (grades 7-12) who have used a vaping product (e-cigarettes only) in the past 30 days; Percentage of Canadian students (grades 7-12) who have used any tobacco product (including cigarettes) in the past 30 days; Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who are current cigarette smokers | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≤ 10% | 2023 | 17% The target of 10% for the prevalence of vaping among students in grades 7-12 was established in 2018, before the current generation of vaping products were available. Health Canada has since increased compliance and enforcement activities and implemented new regulations to curtail the promotion of vaping. The Department is also investing extensively in public education. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≤ 10% | 2024 | 17% The results from 2021-22 are the most recent and will be used until new data is available. Results for the 2023 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (formerly the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey) will be available in early 2025. The target of 10% for the prevalence of vaping among students in grades 7-12 was established in 2018, before the current generation of vaping p… | Not met |
| 2024-25 | ≤ 10% | 2025 | 7.2% As of 2024-25, the data source for this indicator has changed (from the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs Survey to the Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth). The methodology is similar and results are comparable with previous results. | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≤ 10% | 2023 | 6.7% | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≤ 10% | 2024 | 6.7% The results from 2021-22 are the most recent and will be used until new data is available. Results for the 2023 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth will be available in early 2025. | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≤ 10% | 2025 | — As of 2024-25, the data source for this indicator has changed (from the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs Survey to the Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth). The methodology is different and results are not comparable with previous results. The indicator was replaced with a similar indicator for 2025-26. | No result reported |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | ≤ 5% | 2021 | 15% The data source for this indicator changed from CTADS to the annually reported Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). As data for this year is unavailable at the time of publication, results for this indicator are based on 2019 CCHS data. New data is expected to be available in 2021-22. | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≤ 3% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≤ 10% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $31.5M | $26.5M |
| 2019-20 | $35.1M | $35.3M |
| 2020-21 | $29.2M | $24.5M |
| 2021-22 | $34M | $31.6M |
| 2022-23 | $33.3M | $33.6M |
| 2023-24 | $33.6M | $35.8M |
| 2024-25 | $34.9M | $32.5M |
| 2025-26 | $35.5M | — |
| 2026-27 | $35.8M | — |
| 2027-28 | $33.1M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $32.1M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 131 | 158 |
| 2019-20 | 141 | 157 |
| 2020-21 | 139 | 170 |
| 2021-22 | 204 | 191 |
| 2022-23 | 203 | 201 |
| 2023-24 | 203 | 214 |
| 2024-25 | 203 | 214 |
| 2025-26 | 203 | — |
| 2026-27 | 200 | — |
| 2027-28 | 200* | — |
| 2028-29 | 176* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $31,506,227 | $31,780,649 | $27,399,072 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $35,084,426 | $29,754,838 | $30,004,847 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $29,187,794 | $29,437,359 | $29,248,137 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $33,973,366 | $33,837,269 | $33,837,269 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $33,299,219 | $33,299,219 | $33,299,219 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $33,623,477 | $33,623,477 | $33,623,477 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $34,921,880 | $35,174,460 | $34,934,375 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $35,458,897 | $35,220,670 | $35,221,031 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $35,804,849 | $33,089,228 | $32,131,610 | ||||||||
| Actual | $26,456,332 | $35,324,203 | $24,454,006 | $31,554,830 | $33,556,789 | $35,787,687 | $32,536,218 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
