Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Search

Tobacco Products Information Regulations (SOR/2000-272)

Regulations are current to 2024-03-06 and last amended on 2019-11-09. Previous Versions

Health Information

Marginal note:Display

  •  (1) Every manufacturer of cigarette tobacco (other than cigarette tobacco contained in a pouch), kreteks, leaf tobacco or tobacco sticks shall display health information in the following manner:

    • (a) in the case of any package other than a slide and shell package or a tub

      • (i) anywhere on the package, other than the principal display surface or the bottom, in a manner that the English and French texts are side by side, centred, and together occupy between 60% and 70% of the side on which it is displayed; or

      • (ii) on a leaflet inserted in every package, in English on one side of the leaflet and in French on the other side, with the information centred and occupying between 60% to 70% of each side;

    • (b) in the case of a slide and shell package

      • (i) in the manner described in subparagraph (a)(ii), or

      • (ii) on the surface of the slide that is opposite to the side of the slide that is next to the tobacco product, in such a manner that the English and French texts are side-by-side and centered, and together occupy 60% to 70% of that surface; and

    • (c) in the case of a tub

      • (i) in the manner described in subparagraph (a)(ii),

      • (ii) on any exterior surface of the tub except the bottom,

      • (iii) on the interior surface of the lid, or

      • (iv) on the freshness seal.

  • Marginal note:Leaflet

    (2) The leaflet shall be approximately 50 mm by 88 mm and readily visible to a person who opens a package in which it has been inserted.

  • Marginal note:Equal display

    (3) Every manufacturer shall, in respect of each type of package of each brand of tobacco product specified in subsection (1) that the manufacturer packages in a year, display each message on between 3.25% and 9.25% of those tobacco products.

  • SOR/2011-179, s. 7

Toxic Emissions and Toxic Constituents

Marginal note:Test methods

  •  (1) Section 5 and subsections 12(3) to (6) of the Tobacco Reporting Regulations apply to the testing of a tobacco product for the purpose of obtaining information that is to be displayed in accordance with section 10 of these Regulations.

  • Marginal note:Exception

    (2) A manufacturer is not required to perform the tests in respect of a particular brand of tobacco product if the manufacturer

    • (a) sells identical products under more than one brand, including the particular brand;

    • (b) performs the tests in respect of another of those brands of identical products (in this subsection referred to as the “reference brand”);

    • (c) displays, in accordance with section 10, on the packages of the reference brand the information obtained from the tests described in paragraph (b); and

    • (d) displays, in accordance with section 10, the same information on the packages of all of the other brands of identical products, including the particular brand.

Marginal note:Toxic emissions

 Every manufacturer of cigarette tobacco, kreteks, leaf tobacco and tobacco sticks shall display on every package, other than a carton, kit or wrapper, of those tobacco products the texts “Some of the toxic emissions: Tar, Nicotine, Carbon monoxide, Formaldehyde, Hydrogen cyanide, Benzene” and “Quelques-unes des émissions toxiques : goudron, nicotine, monoxyde de carbone, formaldéhyde, acide cyanhydrique, benzène” such that those texts are one under the other.

  • SOR/2011-179, s. 8

Marginal note:Toxic constituents

 Every manufacturer of chewing tobacco or snuff shall display on every package, other than a carton, kit or wrapper, of chewing tobacco or snuff that they manufacture

  • (a) with a variation of not more than 5%, the mean amount of toxic constituents contained in the chewing tobacco or snuff, expressed in milligrams, micrograms or nanograms per gram of chewing tobacco or snuff and determined in accordance with the official method set out for that toxic constituent in column 2 of Schedule 2; and

  • (b) the information referred to in paragraph (a), in the order set out in column 1 of Schedule 2, in such a manner that the English and French texts are one under the other, preceded by the words “Toxic constituents/gram:” and “Constituants toxiques/gramme :”.

Marginal note:Placement, presentation and expression

 The information to be displayed in accordance with sections 9 and 10 shall be displayed

  • (a) on any side of the package, other than a side displaying a health warning, or, in the case of a package of chewing tobacco or snuff, on its bottom, in a manner that it occupies no less than 50% of the entire side or bottom;

  • (b) in Helvetica bold type in black characters of 10 points on a white background, or, if it is impossible to display the information without occupying more than 70% of the surface on which it is to be displayed under paragraph (a), in a pitch that results in the information occupying not less than 60% of that surface; and

  • (c) using the full name of the emission or constituent and not its chemical formula or any other abbreviated name.

  • SOR/2011-179, s. 9
  • SOR/2016-105, s. 1(E)

Slide and Shell Packages

[
  • SOR/2011-179, s. 10(F)
]

Marginal note:Texts to be displayed

  •  (1) Every manufacturer of bidis, kreteks or tobacco sticks contained in slide and shell packages shall, in accordance with this section, display on the upper slide-flap the health information that is set out for that purpose in Part 4 of the source document.

  • Marginal note:Manner of display

    (2) The health information required under subsection (1) shall be displayed in a manner that the English and French texts are one under the other and together occupy at least 50% of the surface of the upper slide-flap.

  • Marginal note:Equal display

    (3) Every manufacturer shall, in respect of each brand of tobacco product specified in subsection (1) that the manufacturer packages in a year, display each message on between 3.25% and 9.25% of those tobacco products.

  • Definition of upper slide-flap

    (4) In this section, upper slide-flap means, in respect of a slide and shell package, the extremity of the slide that can be folded and is concealed by the shell when the package is closed and that is visible when the package is used in the customary manner to gain access to the product.

  • SOR/2011-179, s. 11

Cartons and Kits

Marginal note:Display

  •  (1) Every manufacturer of a tobacco product contained in a carton or kit shall, in addition to the information otherwise displayed on each package, display on the carton or kit

    • (a) on the principal display surface, a health warning in accordance with subsections 5(1), (2), (3) and (7);

    • (b) on the two next largest sides, a health warning from those mentioned in paragraph (a) so that it occupies at least 50% of the surface of each of those sides; and

    • (c) on the remaining sides, except in the case of transparent cartons and transparent kits, either

      • (i) a health warning from those mentioned in paragraph (a) so that it occupies at least 50% of the surface of those sides; or

      • (ii) the following, in such a manner that the English and French texts are one under the other and together occupy at least 50% of those sides, in Helvetica type and in a pitch that results in it occupying not less than 60% and not more than 70% of the surface to be occupied:

        • (A) in the case of chewing tobacco and snuff, the mean amount of the toxic constituents, determined in accordance with section 10, and

        • (B) in any other case except bidis, the texts “Some of the toxic emissions: Tar, Nicotine, Carbon monoxide, Formaldehyde, Hydrogen cyanide, Benzene” and “Quelques-unes des émissions toxiques : goudron, nicotine, monoxyde de carbone, formaldéhyde, acide cyanhydrique, benzène”.

  • (2) [Repealed, SOR/2019-107, s. 81]

Coming into Force

Marginal note:Coming into force

  •  (1) These Regulations, except sections 8 to 11, come into force

    • (a) in respect of a brand of cigarettes that, for the year preceding the year in which these Regulations are registered, has total sales in Canada of that brand in that year of more than 2% of the total sales in Canada of cigarettes in that preceding year, on the day that is 180 days after the day on which these Regulations are registered; and

    • (b) in respect of any other tobacco product, one year after the day on which these Regulations are registered.

  • Marginal note:Toxic emissions and constituents

    (2) Sections 8 to 11 come into force one year after the day on which these Regulations are registered.

 

Date modified: