Canada: Three tobacco companies receive record fines

(Baonghean.vn) - The Supreme Court of Quebec recently ordered three tobacco manufacturers to pay 15.5 billion Canadian dollars in compensation to more than 1 million tobacco victims in Quebec. The compensation amount is said to have set a record for administrative penalties in Canada.

The Quebec court's ruling finally brings to a close a 17-year-old case involving three multinational tobacco companies: Imperial Tobacco, Rothmans Benson & Hedges and Japan Tobacco International, which were accused of failing to meet their obligations to consumers.

Two of the four violations mentioned were “the duty not to cause harm to others” and “the duty to inform customers about the risks and dangers of using one’s company’s products”.

Tobacco is responsible for 6 million deaths worldwide each year according to WHO statistics.

The judges also ordered the three tobacco companies to pay damages to consumers, even if they decide to appeal. According to preliminary estimates, by the end of July 2015, the amount the three companies must pay is up to 15.5 billion Canadian dollars.

After the ruling, a representative of Imperial Tobacco Canada said that both consumers and the government have been aware of the risks of smoking for decades. Therefore, the responsibility does not simply lie with the manufacturer.

One in three Canadian tobacco brands fined

It is known that of the compensation amount of up to 15.5 billion Canadian dollars, Imperial Tobacco company has to pay up to 10.5 billion. Most likely, the above case will last for a few more years because according to the latest revelation, Imperial Tobacco is intending to appeal.

Chu Thanh