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Montreal’s director of public health and anti-tobacco groups are praising the Quebec government for tabling a proposed law Tuesday that would impose the same limits on vaping as on smoking in public spaces, as well as banning scented and flavoured tobacco products.

But both Dr. Richard Massé and the Coalition québécoise pour le contrôle du tabac argued that Bill 44 does not go far enough in requiring that tobacco manufacturers use plain packaging for their products rather than the brightly coloured boxes that in some cases are designed to look like smartphones.

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Public Health Minister Lucie Charlebois said the goals of Bill 44 are to prevent Quebec youth from taking up vaping and smoking, protecting non-smokers from second-hand smoke and motivating smokers to quit the habit.

“Every year in Quebec, at least 10,000 people die from illnesses associated with tobacco use,” Charlebois said. “The bill we are tabling today proposes ambitious measures that would allow Quebec to regain its place as a leader in the fight against tobacco use.”