On May 30, 2026, Andy Bulabula, Research Associate at the Global Strategy Lab, joined more than 20 leading advocates, academics, practitioners, and policymakers at a national roundtable on Canada’s future tobacco and nicotine control strategy. Hosted by Action on Smoking & Health (ASH Canada) and held at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the roundtable took place ahead of this year’s World No Tobacco Day, and reaffirmed Canada’s existing target of reducing tobacco use to below 5% by 2035. Concerns were also raised about high rates of youth vaping and nicotine product use, which led to a new consensus statement calling for a national target to bring all nicotine use to below 5% by 2045.
Throughout the roundtable, Andy drew on GSL’s work on gender and tobacco control, highlighting how gender-sensitive approaches can strengthen the way policies are designed, implemented, and evaluated, and how they help avoid one-size-fits-all measures that overlook differences across population groups. He also contributed to the framing of the nicotine reduction goal, notably the rationale for setting a clear national target, a priority given rising nicotine use among youth and young adults.
Andy further brought an equity lens to the conversation, including the need to replace terms such as “vulnerable populations” with more precise, respectful, and less stigmatizing language that reflects structural and social determinants. These contributions connected to the roundtable’s broader focus on policy effectiveness, implementation, accountability, and the role of law and regulation, as well as to a range of short-term policy options under discussion from flavour restrictions, online sales limits, and action on contraband products to age-of-sale policies, product standards, pricing measures, public disclosure, sustainable funding, and cost recovery from tobacco companies.
“Given concerns about youth vaping and nicotine use, progress will require evidence-informed policy measures, implementation, monitoring, and accountability,” said Andy Bulabula.
Andy reviewed and approved the roundtable’s final consensus statement. Participants also agreed to convene annually to maintain momentum, review progress, support accountability, and continue advancing concrete policy action, creating an opportunity for continued engagement around evidence-informed tobacco and nicotine control policy in Canada.
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