November 21, 2025
Canada is facing a growing burden of chronic disease. This puts considerable pressure on the health care system and has negative economic and social consequences on the health and well-being of Canadians. Alcohol causes 17,000 deaths per year in Canada, is a major contributor to chronic diseases and injuries, and is Canada’s most used psychoactive substance. Almost 80% of the population aged 15 years and over consumes alcohol, with 57% using above low-risk levels, 20% binge drinking at least monthly, and 18% meeting criteria for disordered use in their lifetime. The societal costs of alcohol in Canada in 2020 were $19.7 billion, which represents a greater health system burden than either tobacco or opioids. In addition, alcohol use and consequent morbidity and mortality increased in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic and alcohol health harms remain higher than pre-pandemic rates.
Despite the high health and economic burdens, alcohol is highly normalized, growing in availability with widespread sales, distribution, marketing, and use. Most people in Canada are not aware of, misunderstand, or underestimate the risks of morbidity and mortality due to alcohol, despite alcohol being classified as a known carcinogen for over 35 years with no safe threshold for cancer risk. In 2020, 7000 new cancer cases in Canada were estimated to be attributable to alcohol (~3% of total cancer cases), yet only 29% of adult consumers in Canada in 2023 knew that alcohol is a cause of 7 cancer types. Recent Health Canada survey data from almost 10,000 adults also showed that only 59% had heard of Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health (CGAH).
This problem is compounded by a lack of clear information for consumers in Canada. For example, Health Canada’s website does not yet have information on CGAH. Consumers have a right to know about the risks of the products they are consuming and to have access to clear information to support safer use. The lack of health information on alcohol container labels in Canada limits consumers’ ability to make informed decisions about their alcohol use.
Many leading experts in Canadian health and legal research communities have argued that manufacturers of consumer products have a duty to warn the public of risks inherent in the use of their products and to provide consumers with the information they need to make informed choices concerning the use of their products. This is based on the fundamental right for Canadians to have the knowledge they need to protect themselves from harm where possible. This is particularly important for substances which are marketed and sold for human consumption and have a wide range of significant potential harms, such as alcohol.
Health warning labels on product packaging are among the most effective tools for communicating product health risks and have been shown to effectively discourage people from smoking and buying sugary beverages and unhealthy foods. Labels are a unique information-based intervention in that consumers are consistently exposed to health messages at key points of contact with packaging, i.e., at the points of sale and consumption. Their reach is unparalleled among consumers, with higher exposure among high volume consumers. A systematic review published in the Lancet Public Health assessing evidence examining the impacts of alcohol container labels found rotating labels with a cancer warning, alcohol guidance, and standard drink information may reduce general alcohol use and per capita ethanol sales. These results are largely based on a Canadian real-world labelling study in Yukon showing alcohol labels were associated with a 6% reduction in per capita ethanol sales relative to comparison sites without the label intervention.
While Canada is a recognized world leader in mandating strong tobacco and cannabis health warning labels on packaging, alcohol containers are mostly exempt from these regulations. The Government of Canada’s alcohol labelling regulations require labels to include an alcohol-by-volume declaration and a declaration of specific additives. Provincial and territorial authorities can impose additional alcohol label requirements. For example, Yukon and Northwest Territories require warning labels cautioning about alcohol risks when pregnant, and Northwest Territories added a cancer warning label in April 2024. However, the 10 provinces and Nunavut do not require any labels beyond national requirements.
Despite these variations in alcohol labelling, reducing population level alcohol use to mitigate alcohol harm is a priority in Canada. Health Canada’s 2023 Drugs and Substances Strategy includes prevention and education as one of its priority areas. Mandatory alcohol warning labels are a key recommendation in Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health and have majority public support in Canada.
There is a growing demand in Canada among health partners, including First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities, for federal leadership on communicating the evidence-based health consequences of alcohol. Bill S-202 was introduced in the Canadian Senate in May 2025 proposing to federally mandate alcohol warning labels. This is the tenth time a private member’s bill proposing alcohol warning labels has been introduced and debated in the chambers of Canadian Parliament. These developments are occurring against the backdrop of high-profile international calls for reform.
The World Health Organization has stated that labelling is a “recommended intervention” and a necessary and critical first step in a comprehensive alcohol control strategy. The European Union, Ireland, Norway, and other countries have made progress in labelling requirements. Australia recently updated their alcohol warning label regulations in terms of label size, location, colour, and format. The U.S. Surgeon General and American Medical Association recently issued public advisories calling for product warning labels cautioning about alcohol and cancer (2025). Canada should not lag behind the rest of the world.
Provincial/Territorial Chief Medical Officers of Health/Chief Public Health Officers1,2, who serve as public health leaders in each province and territory, strongly encourage the federal government to mandate health label requirements on all alcohol containers for sale in Canada. More specifically, the labelling requirements should include mandating minimum health information, including scientific recommendations on alcohol consumption and health risks, a cancer warning, and the number of Canadian standard drinks in a container. Labels are most effective when designed based on science, evaluated among consumers and consistent with best practice principles, including being relatively large in size, full colour, and displayed in a consistent location on the principal panel of alcohol containers. We are also of the position that Health Canada should take immediate steps to provide information on the current CGAH on its website.
- Although the National Director of Public Health of Quebec agrees with the principles of this statement, Quebec will continue to assume its responsibility over public health and will coordinate with other governments where appropriate.
- The Alberta Chief MOH is unable to support this statement at this time.
Dr. Sudit Ranade, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Yukon
Dr. Kami Kandola, Chief Public Health Officer, Northwest Territories
Dr. Ekua Agyemang, Chief Public Health Officer, Nunavut
Dr. Daniele Behn Smith, acting Provincial Health Officer, British Columbia
Dr. Saqib Shahab, Chief Medical Health Officer, Saskatchewan
Dr. Brent Roussin, Chief Public Health Officer, Manitoba
Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ontario
Dr. Yves Leger, Chief Medical Officer of Health, New Brunswick
Dr. Heather Morrison, Chief Public Health Officer, Prince Edward Island
Dr. Robert Strang, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Nova Scotia
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Newfoundland and Labrador