The Government of Canada is seeking comments on its Ustawa o wyrobach tytoniowych i produktach do waporyzacji (TVPA) and has recently launched a konsultacja in which it asks “those with lived and living experiences of tobacco use” to participate. Effectively, the TVPA banned a wide array of vaping flavours, a measure that may have several negative unintended consequences for public health. You know how important flavours are! That is why we need your voice to be heard more than ever now. We need you to stand up against flavour restrictions endangering smoking cessation efforts in Canada and ask the Government of Canada to follow an open approach towards alternative nicotine products.

Your participation in the upcoming consultation is crucial to ensure the rights and choices of Canadian vapers are protected. The consultation ends November 3rd! We hereafter provide a guide on why it is important that you participate and how you can do it!

Why Your Participation Matters: 

Vaping has supported the smoking cessation efforts of hundreds of thousands of smokers in Canada by offering them a less harmful alternative. In the process of quitting, flavours play a central role, making the transition more enjoyable and effective for many. The prohibition of most flavours in Canada is undermining these efforts, preventing smokers from switching and pushing vapers back to smoking and to the black market, altogether endangering the progress made in the last decade. We need you to raise your voice and explain to Canadian politicians how vaping helped you quit and how important vaping flavours were in this process!

How to Participate:

1. Visit the consultation page and the discussion paper page, where you will find all the relevant information on the regulation of vaping products in Canada and the state of the tobacco epidemic.
2. Review the list of key questions in appendix A of the discussion paper.
3. Open a Word document, copy and paste the key questions asked by the Government of Canada and reply to those that you think can provide input. You can see our comprehensive submission with responses to a selection of questions here.
4. Share your personal experience with vaping. Explain to politicians how it helped you quit smoking and carry a healthier life!
5. Tell Canadian politicians how important vaping flavours are for you and how flavour restrictions are affecting you or, if you live in a country with no flavour bans, how you think these would affect you.
6. Prepare an email with your written submission.
7. Don’t forget to declare any perceived or actual conflicts of interest with the tobacco, vaping and/or pharmaceutical industries if you have them. If you do not, also state that in your email!
8. Send your written submission to legislativereviewtvpa.revisionlegislativeltpv@hc-sc.gc.ca before November 3rd.
9. Engage with Others: Encourage your vaping community, friends, and family members to join the consultation and make their voices heard. Unity among vapers can amplify the impact of your collective message.

Participating in the consultation is your chance to advocate for the rights of vapers and contribute to shaping the future of vaping regulations in Canada. Sharing your experience can make Canadian politicians understand the role alternative nicotine products can play in the fight against tobacco and the importance of vaping flavours in smoking cessation. Your input can lift the imposition of unnecessary restrictions that are hindering harm reduction efforts and the freedom of choice for vapers. Together, we can ensure that harm reduction remains a priority and that vapers continue to have access to the flavours that have helped them quit smoking and embrace a healthier alternative.

Ready to make your voice heard? Follow our participation guide above and protect the rights of Canadian vapers!

Let’s stand united for vaping and harm reduction in Canada. Your participation matters!