The Government of Saskatchewan is pleased to see a resolution was reached in efforts to recover funds for the provincial health care system from tobacco companies that have sold cigarettes in Canada. The Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Ontario approved a compensation plan that constitutes the largest resolution of its kind in the history of Canada, and the third largest ever anywhere in the world. Under this compensation plan, tobacco companies will be required to pay a total of $32.5 billion. Saskatchewan will receive approximately $700 million.

The compensation plan will:

• Put significant amounts of money into provincial and territorial health care systems for improved treatment and care.

• Provide meaningful compensation from tobacco companies to individual victims of smoking.

• Provide clear accountability to the cigarette manufacturers for past conduct and wrongful practices. This plan builds on the work being done in Saskatchewan and across the country to reduce the number of people who smoke.