Health organizations call for immediate action on national vape flavour restrictions to protect youth

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News provided by

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

Oct 27, 2026, 10:30 ET

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 27, 2026 /CNW/ -- A broad group of leading health organizations today called on the federal government to immediately finalize long-delayed regulations restricting e-cigarette flavours. More than five years after the intended regulations were first announced, the groups say Canadians have waited long enough for action that would help protect youth from nicotine addiction and the health harms associated with vaping.

At a news conference on Parliament Hill, representatives from Heart & Stroke, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Lung Association, Action on Smoking & Health Canada, Québec Coalition for Tobacco Control, Canadian Nurses Association and Canadian Pharmacists Association, joined in support by Canadian Medical Association, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Child Health Policy Accelerator and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), pressed Prime Minister Mark Carney and Minister of Health Marjorie Michel to adopt final regulations to restrict vape flavours, regulations that were initially published in 2021 in draft form.

Speakers from participating organizations noted:

  • Vaping rates skyrocketed among adolescents and young adults following the 2018 legalization of e-cigarettes in Canada and have remained alarmingly high. National survey data show that more than one in four Grade 12 students (27%) and more than one in five Grade 11 students (22%) vape.
     
  • Flavours can trivialize the perception of health risks. They entice youth to try vaping and keep vaping by masking the harshness of nicotine and reducing throat irritation.
     
  • Close to half of 16- to 19-year-olds who vape have tried to quit, but research indicates that the majority of youth struggle to quit, in part because vaping products are as addictive as cigarettes.
     
  • A vape flavour ban by the federal government is supported by 78% of Canadians, according to a 2025 Canadian Lung Association national public opinion poll. 
     
  • Youth who vape are three times more likely to start smoking and assume all the related health risks.
     
  • The latest research shows a long list of proven harms associated with vaping, from an increased risk of infections, a weakened immune system and respiratory problems to high blood pressure, damaged blood vessels and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
     
  • Six provinces and territories have already implemented comprehensive flavour restrictions, but federal regulations are needed to provide consistent protection for youth across Canada and help prevent gaps that undermine existing provincial restrictions.

The evidence is clear, and Canadians have waited long enough. It is essential that Prime Minister Carney and Health Minister Michel finalize the vape flavour regulations without further delay.

QUOTES

Heart & Stroke                                                                                                    

"Youth vaping rates in Canada remain stubbornly high. Flavours play a significant role in attracting young people to vaping and keeping them vaping. By finalizing these regulations, the federal government will help protect youth from nicotine addiction and the serious health risks associated with vaping."
– Manuel Arango, Vice President, Policy & Advocacy, Heart & Stroke

Canadian Cancer Society

 "The federal government first proposed these regulations in 2021 and many thousands of youth have started using vaping products in the interim. Since then, Canadians have heard repeated statements that action was coming, yet more than five years later these protections are still not in place. The time for consultation has passed. The time to finalize these regulations is now."
– Rob Cunningham, Senior Policy Analyst, Canadian Cancer Society

Canadian Lung Association

"Canadians have made it clear that they support action to reduce tobacco and nicotine use among youth. With strong public backing and years of consultation behind us, the federal government needs to move forward with this measure to help reduce youth vaping and protect the next generation from nicotine addiction."
– Sarah Butson, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Lung Association

Action on Smoking & Health Canada

"Canada has achieved significant reductions in smoking over the past several decades, but high youth vaping rates threaten this progress. Youth who vape are three times more likely to start smoking. Restricting flavours is an important tobacco control measure that can help prevent a new generation from getting hooked on nicotine."
– Les Hagen, Executive Director, Action on Smoking & Health Canada

Québec Coalition for Tobacco Control

"Several provinces and territories have already implemented comprehensive flavour restrictions, but these are being undermined by the more permissive federal framework which still allows the sale and promotion of fruit-flavoured vapes, including through online vendors. Federal flavour and online restrictions would ensure consistent protection across the country and bring Canada in line with a growing number of countries internationally that are restricting flavour additives to protect youth."
– Flory Doucas, Co-Director, Québec Coalition for Tobacco Control

Canadian Nurses Association

"As the largest group of health professionals in Canada, nurses play a vital role in health education, prevention and helping young people understand the risks of vaping. But education alone isn't enough. Decades of tobacco control have shown that strong public health regulations can protect people and save lives. We know what works. It's time for the federal government to act to protect young people from nicotine addiction."
– Dr. Julie Williams, RN, PhD, Nursing & Health Policy Analyst, Canadian Nurses Association

Canadian Pharmacists Association

"Pharmacists see firsthand how difficult nicotine dependence can be to overcome. Flavoured vaping products can make experimentation more appealing and sustained use more likely among young people. Finalizing these regulations would help reduce exposure to products that can lead to long-term nicotine addiction."
– Dr. Sadaf Faisal, Chief Pharmacist Officer and Vice President, Professional Affairs, Canadian Pharmacists Association

Canadian Medical Association 

"Physicians across Canada are concerned about the impact of vaping on the health of young people. The evidence linking nicotine exposure and vaping to adverse health outcomes continues to grow. Finalizing these regulations would be an important step toward protecting youth from preventable harm."
– Dr. Bolu Ogunyemi, President, Canadian Medical Association 

SickKids Child Health Policy Accelerator

 "Youth are uniquely susceptible to nicotine addiction, and we need comprehensive measures to protect them. Restricting vape flavours is a clear, practical step to protect our kids' health and save another generation from addiction."
– Dr. Trisha Tulloch, Staff Physician, Division of Adolescent Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, and Addictions Division, Nicotine Dependence Clinic (The Intrepid Lab), Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

CHEO

"Every young person deserves the opportunity to grow up free from nicotine addiction. Restricting vape flavours is a practical, evidence-informed measure that would help prevent youth vaping and support healthier futures for children and youth across Canada." 
– Dr. Vera Etches, President and CEO, CHEO

PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS

SOURCE Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

MEDIA CONTACTS: Renée Dunk, Heart & Stroke, 416-562-2695, [email protected]; Rob Cunningham, Canadian Cancer Society, 613-762-4624, [email protected]; Nahanni MacIntosh, Canadian Lung Association, 613-866-7048, [email protected]; Tyler Gogo, Canadian Pharmacists Association, 613-293-7223, [email protected]; Les Hagen, Action on Smoking & Health Canada, 780-919-5546, [email protected]; Flory Doucas, Québec Coalition for Tobacco Control, 514-515-6780, [email protected]

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Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada