Connect to Change | Canadian Cancer Society

A free program that provides support to Indigenous people who want to quit or reduce their commercial tobacco use in a culturally appropriate program.

Commercial tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Canada and is the risk factor most strongly linked to preventable cancer cases. In Canada, the rates of commercial tobacco use are statistically higher among Indigenous peoples. Smoking commercial tobacco is 2.4 times higher among Inuit, 1.9 times higher among First Nations living off reserve and 1.7 times higher among Métis than among non-Indigenous adults.

Community group facilitators will receive training to deliver community-based programs with a focus on quitting or reducing commercial tobacco use while also increasing physical activity.

A land- or water-based physical activity program will be developed, and the two programs will be blended into a single 8-week program for participants seeking to quit smoking and vaping.

Participants will:

work with an Indigenous group facilitator to develop their personal goals and plan their quit journey
build social connections with other group members starting the same journey while engaging in culturally appropriate and traditional exercises such as beading, jigging and gardening to support in the success of quitting smoking or vaping
check in with community group facilitators and peers for weekly support, progress updates and guidance
receive 6 weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy
receive a referral to the Canadian Cancer Society’s Talk Tobacco program to receive culturally tailored and personalized support from a cessation specialist to complete their quit plan. Support is available by phone, online or live chat.

The purpose of week one is to create an opportunity for participants to examine their current relationship with commercial tobacco. From there participants are asked several value-based questions designed to help them identify their own reasons for wanting to pursue a commercial tobacco free lifestyle.

This week’s focus is divided into two key categories: Wellbeing and Costs.

Wellbeing

This category explores two essential aspects of health:

Physical Health
Mental Health

The goal is to start envisioning the positive changes you can look forward to – both physically and mentally – as you move away from commercial tobacco use.

Costs

This category breaks down the impact of tobacco use into:

Financial Costs
Time Costs

We’ll take a closer look at how much commercial tobacco use truly costs—not just in dollars, but in time. Understanding both dimensions will help build a clearer picture of the trade-offs involved.

Taking back control means freedom from something that is causing harm. The focus of this week is to provide participants with some useful tools they can use to assert control over commercial tobacco. This week participants will identify triggers, how to build coping strategies and receive more information about NRTs.

Our focus now turns to building awareness around routines and habits:

A routine is a repeated behavior, often intentional.

A habit is an action performed with little conscious thought, built through repetition.

Understanding the difference can help you begin reshaping patterns around tobacco use. One simple but powerful practice is delaying a cigarette by just five minutes. This isn’t just a pause – it’s proof that you can assert control over your behavior. Each moment of delay is a moment of empowerment.

Now that you've started to reshape your relationship with commercial tobacco, this week we shift our focus to movement – both on land and water – as a way to nurture a healthier lifestyle. Movement is not just physical; it’s a way of honoring the connection between body, mind, spirit, and emotions.

This week's focus is on building something beautiful: a community of support to help you navigate difficult times with resilience and care. Your community of support can include anyone – friends, family, neighbors, classmates, organizations, or services. Anyone you interact with has the potential to be part of your circle. The key is to intentionally choose people who uplift you and communicate your needs clearly.

Smoking is a very difficult habit/addiction to break, and it is easy to become derailed. Therefore, it is important to reframe the discourse into positive terms and focus on what the participants have accomplished. In this chapter we will discuss setbacks, relapses and slips, then strategies for how to prevent or how to respond to them.

This is the final week, and it is open for the partner organizations to develop a way to acknowledge and celebrate the change made by the participants.

Contact us

If you have questions about the Connect to Change program, please contact us for more details at: connecttochange@cancer.ca

Our partners

Connect to Change is made possible through joint funding from the Canadian Cancer Society, the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority, the Manitoba Métis Federation, the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council, and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

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