Canada needs to implement mandatory warning labels on all alcoholic beverages, clearly stating the link between alcohol and cancer. Canadians have a right to be informed about the risks before they drink.
This position has grown more urgent with new evidence. The World Health Organization has confirmed that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen and in January 2025, the U.S. Surgeon General called for cancer warnings on alcohol labels.
In Canada, alcohol is accepted and woven into our culture, from sports games to family dinners so many still view moderate drinking as harmless. The reality is far more dangerous.
This idea is already on the table. Bill S-202, introduced in the Senate in May 2025 and now at second reading, would amend the Food and Drugs Act to require labels on drinks with 1.1 per cent alcohol or more.
These labels would define a standard drink, show how many are in the package, outline recommended limits, and most importantly, feature a Health Canada warning about the proven link between alcohol and fatal cancers.
Canadians have a right to informed choices. If a product has a known serious health risk, it should be clearly outlined. Warning labels are a minimal intrusion and have significant benefits.
Because drinking patterns vary by age, gender, income and region, warning labels ensure all Canadians, regardless of background, receive the same life-saving information.
Still, not everyone supports warning labels, often arguing they won’t change behaviour or assuming everyone already knows alcohol is bad. That’s not true.
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, 40 per cent of people do not know alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer. Increasing awareness can change people’s minds about how much they drink.
Evidence from the 2017 Yukon Alcohol Labels Study, where the effectiveness of warning labels on alcohol was examined, shows they reduced sales by six to seven per cent and boosted cancer awareness. Because of this decrease in sales, there is an argument to be made that public health measures like this unfairly burden businesses. Labels may not stop everyone from drinking, but they do influence some.
Alcohol causes nearly 7,000 cancer deaths in Canada each year, according to a report by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA). The cost of cancer far exceeds any business losses. Public health must outweigh profits.
There is no safe level of alcohol when it comes to cancer, economic arguments don’t outweigh public health, and Canadians are not as informed as many assume. Labels work.
Canada should mandate cancer warning labels on alcohol, just as it does with tobacco and cannabis.
The question is not whether Canadians should be free to drink, but whether they should be free to do so without being aware of the risks.
Canadians have a right to know the risks associated with alcohol. Support Bill S-202 by contacting local MPs to make warning labels mandatory.