MLA Petrovic tables anti-vaping bill in Alberta legislature
Health Canada released a report noting that nearly half of the approximately 300,000 Canadians who successfully quit smoking in 2024 did so using nicotine replacement products.
Author: Clayton DeMaine
A member of Alberta’s governing United Conservative Party caucus has introduced legislation to ban flavoured vaping products in the province.
Chelsae Petrovic, the UCP MLA, tabled Bill 208 on Thursday, which would amend the Tobacco, Smoking and Vaping Reduction Act to prohibit the sale of flavoured vaping products, despite data suggesting vaping is 95 per cent less harmful than smoking tobacco and was a leading tool used by Canadians who successfully quit smoking in 2024.
The bill would repeal section 7.41(1) of the Tobacco, Smoking and Vaping Reduction Act, which currently defines flavoured vaping products as anything subject to its regulations. The bill would define flavoured vaping products in the act itself instead of relying on those regulations, while leaving room for tobacco-flavoured products.
The section would be replaced with “Sale of flavoured vaping products prohibited 7.41(1) In this section, (a) “flavoured vaping product” means each of the following: (i) a single-use vaping product that has a smell or taste, other than one of the following, that is clearly noticeable before or during the use of the vaping product: (A) nicotiana rustica; (B) virginia tobacco; (C) burley tobacco.”
This Act would come into force one year after receiving Royal Assent.
Before seeing the bill, Juno News spoke with UCP staffers, MLAs and cabinet members, of whom many expressed concern over the bill, stating that it was “at odds” with the expectations of Albertans and contradicted public health data.
As reported by Juno News in January, Health Canada released a report noting that nearly half of the approximately 300,000 Canadians who successfully quit smoking in 2024 did so using nicotine replacement products, including vapes.
At the time, David Clement of the Consumer Choice Centre, an independent pro-freedom consumer advocacy group, told Juno News that multiple health bodies in Canada and Europe now say vaping is 95 per cent less harmful than smoking tobacco.
He also said a key concern driving calls to ban vaping products is youth use, which he said has been eased by a 50 per cent drop in youth vaping since 2019. He added that convenience stores are subject to regulations requiring tobacco and vaping products be sold only to individuals 19 years or older.
Yes ,,, i agree ... Mind your own business and fix what the government is doing with the AHS , Why did they go after Dr Makis ... treasonous bastards
Why can't these self-righteous government types just mind their own business. Anything to screw the general publiuc out of their freedom. And they do tyhis with their hands in their suspenders mode.
These women should go home and take care of their delinquent children.
Go spend yoyr energy at the Parent - Teacher's meetings.