Province Proclaims Act for Tobacco Litigation

The Tobacco Damages and Health-care Costs Recovery Act was proclaimed today, Sept. 26. It allows the province to sue tobacco manufacturers for unlawful activities that increased smoking.

"This is about holding the tobacco industry accountable for fraud, deception and conspiracy that led to addiction and illness among Nova Scotians," said Health and Wellness Minister Leo Glavine. "With this legislation proclaimed, we will soon be ready to launch our lawsuit to recover health-care costs for tobacco-related illness."

The litigation is a commitment in Nova Scotia's Tobacco Control Strategy. The province plans to file its statement of claim with the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia before the end of the year.

"Tobacco causes 85 per cent of lung cancer deaths and about 30 per cent of all cancer deaths in Canada each year," said Judy Purcell, prevention co-ordinator, Cancer Care Nova Scotia. "The cost to individuals, families, communities, our health care system and society as a whole is almost impossible to measure.

"The Tobacco Damages and Health-care Costs Recovery Act sends a strong message to the tobacco industry and is an important step in holding the industry accountable."

Nova Scotia is one of six provinces in a law firm consortium that is pursuing litigation. The other provinces are British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The law firms are Bennett Jones and Siskinds in Ontario, with support from Arnold Pizzo McKiggan in Halifax.