Opposition questions spending plans, with P.E.I. set to get $168M in tobacco settlement

Thinh Nguyen · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 17, 2025 1:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

There were questions successful the P.E.I. legislature this week astir however the state volition walk its stock of a monolithic colony with the baccy industry.

The $32.5-billion statement among Canadian provinces and territories and the large baccy companies — JTI-Macdonald Corp., Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd., and Rothmans, Benson & Hedges — compensates governments for health-care costs related to smoking-related illnesses.

The ineligible conflict dates backmost decades.

P.E.I. is acceptable to person $168 cardinal implicit the adjacent 15 to 20 years.

In the legislature connected Wednesday, Liberal MLA Robert Henderson asked Justice and Public Safety Minister Bloyce Thompson for details connected however the wealth volition beryllium allocated.

"In the caller fund tabled successful this legislature nether gross from provincial sources, P.E.I. is receiving a $36.4-million windfall from baccy litigation," Henderson said.

"This wealth seems to beryllium going to wide revenue, but I can't find immoderate fund lines that accidental however that wealth goes to families of smokers who person health-related deaths from tobacco. How bash families assertion that money?"

In response, Thompson said: "The wealth is designated for the health-care strategy to assistance woody with the situations from smoking implicit the years. It volition beryllium a large assistance to our health-care strategy and determination is simply a mode that individuals tin use for immoderate money.

"I would beryllium blessed to array the process connected however individuals tin use for that present contiguous oregon tomorrow."

Smokers, erstwhile smokers oregon their representatives surviving successful Canada volition beryllium capable to question idiosyncratic compensation done Tobacco Claims Canada, but the claims process hasn't begun yet.

That's a abstracted process from the backing going to the P.E.I. government.

Fund to assistance amended smoking cessation program

Henderson besides questioned Minister of Health and Wellness Mark McLane astir whether immoderate of the colony funds volition spell toward groups that person been pushing for smoking simplification efforts.

"The Cancer Society and the P.E.I. Tobacco-Free Spaces person been advocating for accrued backing for enhanced fume simplification programming. Yet I spot successful the Department of Health and Wellness fund nether wellness promotion, grants person been reduced implicit past year's allotment," Henderson said.

"Will these groups person immoderate backing from the baccy colony dollars to P.E.I.?"

McLane responded that the state is utilizing the other backing for preventative measures, including improvements to the smoking cessation programme disposable done Island pharmacies.

Henderson besides questioned the state connected wherefore the $36.4 cardinal went into wide gross without a circumstantial fund enactment to compensate families affected by smoking-related wellness issues.

In response, McLane said: "It does spell into wide revenues, similar each different state successful Canada, to proceed to amended smoking cessation programs, and we talked astir the lung screening program, that those investments volition spell towards successful the future."

Elsewhere successful the Maritimes, New Brunswick is acceptable to person astir $614 cardinal from the settlement, portion Nova Scotia's stock is astir $809 million.