FNCSF / RNDGE
School trustees and directors of Education call for an improved vaping framework in order to protect the health of teens

The Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones (FNCSF) and the Regroupement national des directions générales de l'éducation (RNDGE), have shared their concerns with provincial and territorial Ministers of Health and Ministers of Education, as well as Health Canada, regarding vaping ; both from the perspective of its related health problems and the enforcement of the smoke-free regulations that prevail in our educational institutions. 

The organization joins its voice with those of the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Lung Association, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Coalition québécoise (Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control) in advocating for an improved vaping framework by calling for the following measures:

• Selling electronic cigarettes in pharmacies and only to persons aged 18 years and over
• Prohibiting the sale of products on line
• Prohibiting all electronic cigarette flavours, except for tobacco
• Prohibiting the advertising of vaping devices
• Regulating e-liquids to reduce toxins and ensure contents are clearly labelled
• Controlling device manufacturing

Between 2017 and 2018, the number of Canadian youth aged 16 to 19 who vape increased by 74%* while the number of youth who smoke cigarettes also increased by 45% during the same period! Youth's natural interest in the vibrant flavours and smoke of electronic cigarettes, the federal government's lax regulations in the matter and the devious promotion tactics of tobacco companies (social media and influencers) all contribute to promoting tobacco use among youth.

For the first time in Canada, a case of respiratory illness in a youth may be linked to vaping according to the Middlesex-London Health Unit in Ontario.
 
It is no longer the time to reflect but, rather, to take action to better protect our youth. We are counting on concerted action by governments to act expeditiously in this matter.

* University of Waterloo study published in June in the British Medical Journal