Canadian Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett said her country proposes printing health warnings on every cigarette inside the pack, making it the first country in the world to do so.

In 2001, Canada achieved a global first when it mandated printing warning images on cigarette packs. Bennett said this measure has become obsolete for regular smokers, who make up 13 percent of the population.

She said at a press conference, "Adding health warnings on individual tobacco products will help deliver these essential messages to people, including young people who often get cigarettes individually during social occasions and miss the information printed on the pack."

Ottawa said in a statement that tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of illness and premature death in Canada despite decades of efforts, killing nearly 48,000 people annually.