Data sources

Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey (CTNS)

The Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey (CTNS) replaced the tobacco and nicotine content of the CTADS beginning in 2019, while data on alcohol and drug use is now collected independently in the Canadian Alcohol and Drug Survey (CADS). The CTNS is conducted by Statistics Canada on behalf of Health Canada. CTNS data are collected primarily through an online survey, with supplementary telephone interviews. The 2019 CTNS was conducted from October 29 to December 17, 2019, and the 2020 CTNS was conducted from December 8, 2020 to January 16, 2021. The CTNS samples were selected using a stratified sampling procedure, and include the population of Canada’s ten provinces aged 15 years and over, who are not members of collectives or living on reserves.

Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS); formerly Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS)

The Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS) replaced CTUMS beginning in 2013. CTADS/CTUMS was conducted by Statistics Canada with the cooperation and support of Health Canada. CTUMS (1999-2012) was developed to provide Health Canada and its partners with timely, reliable, and continual data on tobacco use and related issues. Beginning in 2013, new content covering alcohol and drug use was added to CTUMS to create CTADS. Data were collected via telephone interviews, conducted from February to December in each survey year (annually for CTUMS; every 2 years for CTADS). The samples for CTADS/CTUMS were selected using a stratified random sampling procedure, and include the population of Canada aged 15 years and over, excluding residents of Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, as well as full-time residents of institutions and residents without telephones (or with cell phones only, prior to 2015).

Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSTADS); formerly Youth Smoking Survey (YSS)

The Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSTADS; called the Youth Smoking Survey (YSS) prior to 2014-15) is an important surveillance tool that provides Health Canada, its partners and stakeholders, as well as the Canadian public, with timely and reliable data on tobacco, alcohol and drug use, and related issues among Canadian students. From 2004-05 to 2018-19, CSTADS/YSS was funded by Health Canada and implemented biennially by the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo, in collaboration with researchers across Canada. The YSS was also implemented for Health Canada by Statistics Canada in 1994 and 2002. In each survey cycle, schools are randomly sampled within each of the 10 provinces, using a stratified single-stage design, to ensure a provincially and nationally generalizable sample. Within each participating school, all students in grade 7-12 classrooms (including grade 6 prior to 2016-17, including grade 5 prior to 2008-09, and excluding grades 10-12 prior to 2006-07) are invited to complete the CSTADS questionnaire. The sample excludes residents of the Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories, residents of institutions, and those attending schools on First Nations reserves, special needs schools (e.g., schools for visually- or hearing-impaired individuals) or schools located on military bases; schools that did not have at least 20 students enrolled in at least one eligible grade were also excluded. The province of New Brunswick did not participate in CSTADS in 2010-11 or in 2016-17. The province of Manitoba did not participate in CSTADS in 2012-13. The 2014-15 CSTADS did not achieve a generalizable sample of students in New Brunswick (NB); therefore, provincial estimates for NB are not reported, although NB is included in the national estimates for that cycle. Note: this report focuses only on respondents in grades 7-9 and excludes those in grades 10-12.