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Saskatchewan is set to get millions from a legal settlement with tobacco companies, but it appears only some of that money will go toward cancer care and prevention.
Jeremy Cockrill, Saskatchewan’s health minister, spoke about the settlement on the Evan Bray Show on Wednesday morning.
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Listen to Evan Bray’s full interview with Cockrill:
“My goal is to see some of that funding dedicated towards, whether that be prevention or whether that be specific cancer-related funding, said Cockrill.
“The challenge is that we’ve got lots of other pressures in the health-care system, and I want to make sure that we’re spending money where it’s going to have the greatest impact for patients.”
In a news release issued in March, Cockrill said the money from the settlement will support ongoing cancer care and prevention efforts. Speaking with Evan Bray this week, Cockrill said he wasn’t aware of any promise that the money would be used for cancer-related initiatives.
Cockrill did say that the money from the settlement will stay in health care.
The minister said he’s been having conversations with the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Lung Association and the Heart and Stroke Foundation about what the money should be used for.
“We know that cancer is an especially challenging thing for people who have to deal with that, and we’re going to find ways to use those dollars for the best way,” said Cockrill.
Groups, like Lung Saskatchewan have spoken out about the settlement, saying they want to make sure the money doesn’t go to things like fixing potholes.
The settlement, from three tobacco companies that have sold cigarettes in Canada, was worth $32.5 billion altogether, and Saskatchewan is set to get as much as $700 million.
The payments began last week, but $400 million was already included in the province’s 2024-25 financials.
Finance Minister Jim Reiter explained at the time that the money had to be included in the province’s books when the settlement was signed, not as the money is received over the next 15 to 20 years.
The inclusion of that settlement cash allowed the province’s books to finish the year at nearly what was budgeted for, about $248 million. Reiter said as it’s received, the money will go into the general revenue fund and then be used from there.
