June 3, 2025
Hon. Judith G. Seidman: My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Senator Gold, the youth vaping crisis in Canada continues to escalate. In fact, the scale of youth nicotine addiction in Canada is growing much more serious. In their most recent report, Health Canada found that nearly half of teenagers aged 15 to 19 have tried vaping products, with 17% now using these products daily. These are among the highest teen vaping rates in the world.
Experts warn that young vapers are more addicted than cigarette smokers and face significant health risks. Despite publishing draft regulations in 2021 to restrict flavoured vaping products, which are most favoured by these teens, the government has yet to finalize them. The health community is now urging immediate action within the next 100 days.
Senator Gold, it has been over four years. When will this government finally commit to act, finalize the regulations and ban flavoured vaping products across the country?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Before I provide the answer that you might expect, which is that I don’t know and I’m not able to provide the timetable for that, I did want to take this opportunity, colleagues, especially for those of you who were not here when we introduced or amended legislation to legalize, I want to bring to your attention the important work that Senator Seidman did in the study of that bill in the face of enthusiastic support for any measure that would help people get off cigarettes. Vaping seemed to be — may still be — a promising alternative to cigarettes. As a former cigarette smoker, I can speak with some authority as to how hard it was to quit smoking.
Having said that, Senator Seidman pointed out some of the unknowns and the risks early on, and it was sobering, if I can invoke that term. So I just want to congratulate you, Senator Seidman, for your ongoing attention to this matter and for your determination not only to make sure that we’re aware and that the government is aware of the growing body of evidence associated with this practice of vaping but also to hold the government to account.
I will raise this with the minister as well, and I wanted to congratulate you for your advocacy.
Senator Seidman: Thank you, Senator Gold, for that unexpected reference to the work that I have done on this issue over the years. Thank you very much.
I was going to say, and you have made reference to this already, that it has been six years since these consultations began on Bill S-5, An Act to amend the Tobacco Act and the Non‑smokers’ Health Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, which we know originated right here in the Senate. The scientific evidence has been building over all these years on a piece of legislation whose objective was said to be harm reduction.
When will the government recognize that action is long overdue and act?
Senator Gold: Again, I don’t have a timetable, at least for the specifics, for the matter of the regulations to which you referred. As you and I both know, coming from Quebec, the provinces have a role to play, and some provinces, like ours, have taken steps for some time now to limit or, in the case of Quebec, to ban flavoured products. But that is not the case, I understand, across the country, so I will raise this with the minister.