| New Brunswick is at an historic crossroads. With final court approval of the national tobacco lawsuit settlement, our province will receive $614 million –including an initial payment of $147 million. This is a landmark moment. But with this opportunity comes a profound responsibility: to ensure that what tobacco has cost us – in lives, in health, and in dollars – never happens again.
The original purpose of the lawsuit was to recover the devastating healthcare costs caused by tobacco use. Each year, tobacco still costs New Brunswick $152 million in healthcare expenses and claims the lives of 1,200 New Brunswickers. Nationally, tobacco remains Canada’s leading cause of preventable disease and death, killing 46,000 people annually. These stark facts must guide our path forward. We cannot allow these settlement funds to be used for short-term needs or lost in general revenues. We must be strategic and visionary. We must protect these funds to build a healthier, tobacco-free future for all New Brunswickers.
We urge the New Brunswick government to earmark a significant portion of these settlement funds to strengthen and expand the province’s Tobacco-Free Living Strategy. It is time for action in New Brunswick.
There is no ambiguity: the new foundation established nationally by the tobacco settlement is prohibited from funding programs aimed at reducing tobacco use. The provinces, including New Brunswick, have accepted that responsibility. It is now our provincial government’s duty to act. This money must be used to strengthen public health, not patch fiscal holes.
The stakes could not be higher. Today, approximately 96,700 New Brunswickers smoke – 15 per cent of the adult population – one of the highest rates in Canada. Even more alarming is the rise in youth vaping, creating a new generation addicted to nicotine. Without urgent action, history will repeat itself.
With appropriate investment, New Brunswick could enhance cessation programs, increase education and awareness campaigns, develop stronger tobacco control policies, address the youth vaping crisis, and support public health units more effectively. Every dollar spent now on prevention and reduction efforts will save lives – and millions in future healthcare costs.
This is a pivotal moment. If we squander this settlement, the opportunity will not come again in our lifetimes. We must act with foresight, determination, and courage.
We call on the New Brunswick government to show bold leadership to allocate settlement funds to protect our youth, prevent disease, save lives, and truly honour the purpose behind the tobacco litigation. Let us seize this rare chance to make history – by ensuring a healthier, tobacco-free future for generations to come.
The future of New Brunswick’s health depends on what we do right now. Let’s not waste it.
Lana Randell is advocacy manager, Atlantic, for the Canadian Cancer Society; Dr. Kerrie Luck is vice president, policy and research for Heart and Stroke Foundation of New Brunswick; Melanie Langille is president and CEO of NB Lung; and Nora Lacey is chief of physician and patient engagement with New Brunswick Medical Society. |
