Of the several amendments that have been made to the Canadian Constitution over the years that directly affect provincial interests, all but one have been achieved as a result of extensive negotiations between the federal and provincial governments.

Throughout North America, governments--federal, provincial, state, and local--have declared tobacco to be public health enemy Number 1. What should public policy be toward tobacco, a legal product that remains a habitual pleasure for one Canadian in four? To answer this question, The Fraser Institute invited leading scientists, public-policy experts, and journalists to meet in Ottawa on May 13, 1999 to debate the costs and benefits of tobacco regulation.

This seminal event produced several important critiques of past and present government policies towards both the companies that produce tobacco products and the consumers of these products. This publication is the first of a number of Public Policy Sources highlighting specific aspects of the debate over tobacco regulation.