Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health (CGAH)

On January 17, 2023, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) released Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health (CGAH) with support from Health Canada. This evidence-based report fundamentally shifts national low-risk drinking recommendations and concludes that even small amounts of alcohol carry some risk and that “if you drink… drinking less is better for health”. The Guidance presents a continuum of risk associated with alcohol use (refer to image). Public health campaigns (such as CCSA’s “Drink Less, Live More” campaign) and provincial public health agencies have been actively disseminating the less is better message of CGAH (see also “Rethink your Drink”). By early 2024, approximately 60% of Canadian adults reported having heard of the new CGAH – a notable reach considering it was released only a year prior.

Alcohol Strength

With the objective to protect Canadians from unintentional overconsumption of sweetened alcoholic beverages (flavored purified alcoholic beverages), the Food and Drug Regulations Act was amended to restrict the alcohol content of these beverages. Flavored purified alcoholic beverages are limited to a maximum of 1.5 standard drinks if they are sold in a container volume of 1,000 mL or less, unless they are sold in glass containers of 750 mL or more.
 

Health Warning Label

The most significant proposed federal health measure is mandatory cancer warning labels on alcohol containers. Bill S-202 would mandate prominent warning labels on all alcoholic beverages sold in Canada. Specifically, it would amend the Food and Drugs Act to require labels stating that alcohol causes at least seven types of fatal cancer (including breast and colon cancer), what constitutes a "standard drink," and Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health. This proposal directly responds to the CGAH’s recommendation that providing clear health risk information (e.g. on labels) is vital for consumer awareness and harm reduction. By October 2025, S-202 was undergoing detailed study by a Senate committee, and by March 2026 it had advanced to third reading in the Senate. If passed, the bill would mark a major shift by aligning alcohol packaging with the kind of health warnings long required for tobacco products. 

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories (NWT) expanded its alcohol warning label program in April 2024 to include a label about cancer risk, making NWT the first jurisdiction to require an explicit cancer warning on alcohol containers. NWT and Yukon already had long-standing labels cautioning against alcohol use in pregnancy and impaired driving. No other province or territory has yet mandated such labels hence, a national labelling requirement like Bill S-202 is widely supported by public health experts to ensure consistency across Canada.

Bill C-46

Passed in June 2018, Bill C-46 makes certain amendments to the Criminal Code sections related to impaired driving and strengthens the criminal law response to both drug- and alcohol-impaired driving. It gives police authority to conduct roadside alcohol and drug screening.

Manitoba

In 2026 Manitoba enacted new restrictions for drivers convicted of impaired operation. These restrictions prohibit drivers convicted of impaired operation related offences causing or resulting in bodily harm or death from driving with any alcohol in their blood. Breaches of the restriction will result in penalties which mirror those that apply to drivers with a BAC between 0.05 and 0.08 per cent under the Immediate Roadside Prohibition Program, including additional licence suspensions, monetary penalties, vehicle impoundment and other measures.  

To address cost-of-living pressures, the federal government introduced an exercise duty on alcohol (a tax automatically indexed to inflation each year) by first, capping the 2023 increase at 2% (down from an automatic 6%+ rise) through the federal budget 2023, and then by extending that 2% cap through 2026 in March 2024. This policy reduces upward pressure on alcohol prices, offering fiscal relief to producers and consumers, but may undermine public health efforts to reduce alcohol consumption and related harms through higher alcohol prices. 

Ontario 

Ontario is phasing out a special tax on on-site wine sales to boost local wineries and adding a modest CAD $10 million over 5 years for social responsibility and public health programming to accompany the retail expansion. 

New Brunswick

In early 2024, New Brunswick’s government raised provincial alcohol taxes, resulting in an average price increase of about 2.8% on alcoholic beverages (e.g. roughly an extra $2 on a 24-pack of beer). Higher alcohol prices are one of the evidence-based strategies for reducing alcohol harms. This tax hike is projected to bring in $12 million in revenue and may also have a modest dampening effect on consumption.  

Many provinces have moved to modernize and expand retail alcohol availability since 2023, often citing economic benefits and consumer convenience despite evidence that shows a $6.4 billion deficit between the government revenue generated from alcohol sales and the social cost of alcohol use in Canada. 

1. Ontario: The government of Ontario introduced many changes that increased the availability and access to alcohol in the province. In December 2023, it announced “the largest expansion of consumer choice… since the end of Prohibition”, with a plan to allow beer, wine, cider and ready-to-drink cocktails in up to 8,500 new retail outlets (convenience stores, big-box stores, some grocery stores and gas stations) by 2026. This significantly increased points of sale for alcohol. Ontario would become the third province (after Alberta and Quebec) to permit beer in corner stores, and uniquely the first to allow ready-to-drink cocktails in those outlets. In March 2026, the province also moved to widen “bring-your-own-alcohol” permit rules to include more types of public events (e.g., festivals) and in April 2026  announced the relaxing of alcohol restrictions in provincial parks.
    
2. Nova Scotia: In March 2026, Nova Scotia signed a direct-to-consumer alcohol sales agreement with Ontario to remove barriers so consumers can buy alcohol directly from their preferred out-of-province producers and open up new opportunities for local industry.
    
3. New Brunswick: amended the Liquor Control Act and signed a memorandum of understanding to allow direct-to-consumer alcoholic beverage sales with other participating Canadian jurisdictions in July 2025. 
    
4. Saskatchewan: In May 2023, the government of Saskatchewan amended its liquor laws to allow municipalities and park authorities to permit drinking in designated public outdoor spaces (like parks) if they choose. This measure gives local governments flexibility to allow responsible public alcohol consumption at events or parks, part of a broader provincial push to “modernize” liquor regulations.