Canadian Lung Health and the History of the Canadian Lung Association: A Timeline
From our earliest days at the turn of the 20th century, the Canadian Lung Association has always been, first and foremost, a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the lung health of Canadians. We were founded to help combat tuberculosis, the #1 killer in Canada, at a time when there was no national healthcare system and treatment was available only to those who could afford it. Through global pandemics, the proliferation of tobacco smoking and climate change, we raise awareness of preventable threats to lung health, advocate for better treatments and fund lung health research.
Milestones
1900
Interested attendees of the annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Association in Ottawa discuss the need for a national association to combat the spread of tuberculosis. The Canadian Association for the Prevention of Consumption and Other Forms of Tuberculosis is formed.
The objectives of the new association are to inform and educate the public, to advocate for legislation and policy, to improve access to care and to unite and work with government and other stakeholders on common objectives.
Annual memberships cost $1, and lifetime memberships are sold for $80.
1904
South of the border, the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis is established. This organization would later be renamed to the American Lung Association.
1907
The first Christmas Seals were sold in Canada, in Toronto and Hamilton.
1908
Parliament passes the Tobacco Restraint Act, banning the sale to and possession of tobacco for minors.
1909
The Canadian Association for the Prevention of Consumption and Other Forms of Tuberculosis simplifies its name to the Canadian Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis.
1918
The first cases of “Spanish flu” in Canada are seen in the spring. Over the next few years, the Great Influenza Epidemic would kill 50,000 Canadians and more than 15 million worldwide.
1922
The Canadian Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis is again renamed, to the Canadian Tuberculosis Association.
1924
In France, Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin develop the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine to immunize against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Today, this vaccine is one of the most widely used in the world.
Clinical trials of the vaccine would begin in Quebec the following year and in 1933 in Saskatchewan.
1927
Christmas Seals go national, with the Association's first Christmas Seals campaign. Almost $75,000 is raised.
Well-known American painters or illustrators were chosen to illustrate the American Christmas Seals, of which derivatives were used in Canada until the 1960s.
1933
Tuberculosis specialist Dr. George J. Wherrell from Manitoba becomes executive secretary of the Association, a post he would hold until 1962.
1939
An article by F. Mueller, titled "Tabakmissbrauch und Lungencarcinom" is published in Zeitung fuer Krebsforschung (the German journal of cancer research). The paper, whose title translates to “Tobacco consumption and lung carcinoma", was one of the first records of this connection in the scientific literature.
1947
The Newfoundland Tuberculosis Association purchases a former US naval ship for $5,000 USD and converts it into a floating clinic to screen for TB in remote coastal communities. TB was the leading cause of death in Newfoundland until 1947, and at one point it had the highest TB rate in the Western world.
This vessel, the MV Christmas Seal, operated until 1970.
1950
The Association celebrates its 50th anniversary at its annual meeting in Vancouver. Dinnertime entertainment includes renowned Canadian magician Francis B. Martineau, best known for his silk magic.
1953
Canada hits the peak of tuberculosis sanitoria beds, with 17,364 beds in operation.
When the requirement for TB beds decreased, it was difficult to use these facilities for other purposes due to their remote locations.
1958
A group of members attending the annual meeting of the Canadian Tuberculosis Association in June introduce a motion to more formalize the Association's medical committee and propose to name the group the Canadian Thoracic Society.
1959
Our research funding program begins, with 1% of the gross Christmas Seals revenue being set aside to fund research projects.
Applicants apply for a portion of the $40,000 available. Nine of the 57 tuberculosis-related projects and three of the six non-tuberculosis-related projects are funded.
1961
The 16th Annual International Tuberculosis Conference is held in Toronto. The planning and execution of this event requires significant CTA resources for two years.
At the conference, members adopt the Mutual Assistance Program to help establish and maintain local and national anti-tuberculosis organizations. One percent of all money raised through the Christmas Seal program by each provincial lung association is earmarked for the program, with CTA opting to support Asian countries in particular. Between 1963 and 1983, CTA donates nearly $1M through the Mutual Assistance Program.
1962
Martin Regenstreif of Montreal became the first Canadian artist to draw the Seals in Canada. He was also the chosen artist for the 1969 and 1970 campaigns.
Regenstrief had also drawn many posters promoting the sale of Victory Bonds during WWII.
1964
The Royal Commission on Health Services, chaired by Justice Emmett Hall, tables its report on the feasibility of a national medicare program. CTA's executive secretary Dr. George J. Wherrett submitted a report titled Tuberculosis in Canada to the Commission and also made a submission during public hearings held across the country.
National medicare would officially launch on July 1, 1968.
1966
Canada reaches "peak smoking", with 4,100 cigarettes smoked annually per capita.
1968
In acknowledgment of its widening scope, the CTA changes its name to the Canadian TB and Respiratory Disease Association.
1974
The first Canadian conference on air pollution and lung health is organized in Gravenhurst, Ontario by Dr. David Bates. Bates would spend his career researching the affects of ozone and air pollutants on lung health.
1977
The Association adopts the name The Canadian Lung Association.
1978
The Christmas Seals Visiting Professor program is launched to all. Dr. Jacques Chrétien from Paris and Dr. JA Peter Paré from McGill are the first chosen recipients.
1981
Three research studies were published that demonstrated the dangers of second-hand smoke. The studies each showed that women married to smokers had higher rates of lung cancer than women married to non-smokers.
1983
A team at the Toronto General Hospital performs the world's first successful lung transplant.
1986
In October, NDP MP Lynne McDonald introduces a private members bill, Bill C-204, to regulate smoking in the workplace and on common carriers under federal jurisdiction. The Bill, which became the Non-Smokers' Health Act, was passed in 1988.
1989
A research team at SickKids Hospital in Toronto, led by Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui, discovers the gene mutation associated with cystic fibrosis.
1999
The lung associations of Saskatchewan and Manitoba create RESPTREC (Respiratory Training and Educator Course) for healthcare providers. The asthma course was the first RESPTREC offering.
2000
Canada becomes the first country in the world to require picture warnings on cigarette packages.
2003
The Federal Tobacco Act forbids tobacco company sponsorship of art and sporting events.
2017
The federal government publishes The Future of Tobacco Control in Canada, committing to fewer than 5% of Canadians smoking by 2035.
2018
Canadian legislation tries to catch up to the emerging vaping trend with amendments to the Tobacco Act and the Non-Smokers Health Act. It becomes legal for e-cigarettes with nicotine to be sold to Canadian adults but the sale or promotion of vaping products to minors is banned.
2020
The World Health Organization declares COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11. Vaccinations against COVID-19 begin to be offered in December. More than 50,000 Canadians would die of COVID-19.
2021
The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act becomes law, formalizing Canada’s commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
2023
Canada became the first country in the world to require cigarette manufacturers to print health warnings on each cigarette.
2024
CLA embarks on new journey as independent national healthy charity, launching its first strategic plan as a standalone organization.