EXCLUSIVE: Over a third of Canada’s total cigarette consumption was contraband tobacco

A new study analyzing tobacco markets in 11 different countries found that over a third of cigarette consumption in Canada was of illicit tobacco, representing over $2 billion in lost tax revenue.

(Cigarettes purchased at a native reserve) Source: Wikipedia Commons

A new study found Canada lost more than $2.1 billion in tax revenue to illicit tobacco sales in 2025, and that 38.3 per cent of the estimated 17.9 billion cigarettes consumed that year came from the black market.

Danny Fournier, a 25-year veteran of the RCMP and now senior manager of illicit trade prevention for Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Canada, spoke with Juno News about the data and the implications of a growing illicit market for public safety and health.