This Court-approved plan compensates Quebec smokers and ex-smokers who were diagnosed with lung cancer, throat cancer, emphysema or severe COPD before March 12, 2012, out of $4.119 billion set aside by Canada's three big tobacco companies. Claims close August 31, 2026, and the estates of victims who died after November 20, 1998 can file too.
Current Status
Claims are open, and the window is nearly shut. The deadline to submit a QCAP claim is August 31, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern for online filings; a claim sent by registered mail must be postmarked by that same date.The Ontario Superior Court of Justice approved the CCAA Plans of Arrangement of Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. and JTI-Macdonald Corp. on March 6, 2025. Those Court-approved plans set out a global resolution providing compensation to people who smoked cigarettes sold by those companies and were diagnosed with certain tobacco-related diseases, and $4.119 billion of the total is allocated to the Quebec plan.
No payment date had been announced as of August 28, 2026. The Claims Administrator states that the pro rata calculation cannot be known until after the August 31 deadline has passed and substantially all claims have been processed, and that neither the Administrator nor the QCAP Agent can provide information about the expected pro rata figure. If you think you qualify, the thing to do now is file — the amount is worked out afterward.
What Changed Recently?
The claim window itself is the recent development. The Ontario Superior Court approved the CCAA Plans on March 6, 2025, which established both Canadian compensation plans and opened the QCAP claims process that now expires on August 31, 2026.The claim form was amended part-way through the process. On June 19, 2026 the Ontario Superior Court issued a Joint Clarification Order and Endorsement regarding a claim form amendment, and the Quebec Superior Court issued a corresponding Clarification Order the same day. Anyone working from an older printed copy of the form should confirm they are using the current version on the Claims Administrator's website before submitting.
Who Qualifies?
The QCAP plan applies to a specific group defined by the CQTS-Blais Quebec tobacco class action. To be eligible, the Tobacco-Victim must meet every one of the following criteria:- Reside in Quebec, or, if the person has died, have resided in Quebec at the time of death. The plan summary also describes the living claimant as someone who was a Quebec resident at diagnosis and remains a Quebec resident today.
- Have smoked at least twelve pack-years — 87,600 cigarettes — sold by the three Canadian tobacco companies between January 1, 1950 and November 20, 1998.
- Have been diagnosed before March 12, 2012 with primary lung cancer; primary squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, oropharynx or hypopharynx, described as throat cancer; or emphysema or COPD at GOLD Grade III or IV.
- Have resided in Quebec on the date of that diagnosis.
- Have been alive on November 20, 1998.
The plan also compensates Successions — the estates or heirs of Tobacco-Victims who died after November 20, 1998, and the estates or heirs of those heirs. There are two separate forms. The Tobacco-Victim Claim Form is for a living victim filing for themselves, or for a representative acting under a mandate or power of attorney. The Succession Claim Form is for the liquidator of an estate, an heir where the estate is closed, a representative of an heir, or the heir of an heir who would have been entitled to claim.
A recurrence or relapse does not count as a new primary cancer. Where a disease came back, the plan asks for the initial date of diagnosis only.
How Much Can You Get?
Compensation depends on which disease was diagnosed and on when the Tobacco-Victim started smoking. These are maximum amounts, in Canadian dollars, for a claimant who satisfies all the eligibility criteria:- Primary lung cancer or primary throat cancer: up to $100,000 if smoking started before January 1, 1976, or up to $80,000 if it started on or after that date.
- Emphysema or COPD at GOLD Grade III or IV: up to $30,000 if smoking started before January 1, 1976, or up to $24,000 if it started on or after that date.
A claimant diagnosed with more than one covered disease is paid for the single disease that produces the highest amount, not for both.
The reason for the two columns is a court finding, not an administrative choice. The Quebec courts reduced the tobacco companies' liability by 20 percent for victims who started smoking on or after January 1, 1976, on the basis that the dangers of contracting a disease from smoking were publicly known by January 1, 1980 and that it would have taken about four years for a person to become addicted. The courts also determined that the public was deemed to know cigarettes were addictive as of March 1, 1996. Those determinations are final and cannot be appealed.
Treat every figure above as a ceiling rather than a promise. If the $4.119 billion allocated to QCAP is not enough to pay the maximum to every approved claimant, compensation is adjusted downward on a pro rata basis, so each payment would be smaller than the listed maximum.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
QCAP is not a no-proof claim, even though most claimants will not have to dig up medical records themselves. Two things are required on the form itself.First, the Tobacco-Victim's Quebec health insurance card number. The Administrator needs it to request records from the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec that establish the diagnosis and its date.
Second, a signed authorization allowing the Claims Administrator to obtain the Tobacco-Victim's medical information — a confirmation of diagnosis from the Quebec Cancer Registry, an extract from RAMQ files, an extract from the MED-ÉCHO database, or other medical files. Class counsel requests those official records so that claimants do not have to assemble the proof themselves.
Only where official confirmation cannot be obtained through those channels will the Administrator contact the claimant with a notice titled "Notice to Provide Alternative Proof." Examples given in the plan documents include a pathology report confirming a lung or throat cancer diagnosis before March 12, 2012, or a spirometry report from before that date showing a non-reversible FEV1 under 50 percent of predicted value to establish emphysema or severe COPD. Do not send alternative evidence unless the Administrator has explicitly asked for it.
A representative filing on someone else's behalf must also attach the mandate, power of attorney, judgment or order they are acting under.
What Is the Deadline?
August 31, 2026. A claim filed online must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on that date. A claim sent by registered mail must be postmarked by August 31, 2026.A claim counts as received only when the claim form and any required supporting documents actually reach the Claims Administrator. Claimants are sent an Acknowledgement of Receipt once that happens, and the plan instructions tell claimants to keep the record of transmission until that acknowledgement arrives. Do not submit the same claim more than once or through several methods at once.
How Do You Take Action?
File through the official administrator site, Tobacco Claims Canada, which hosts the QCAP plan summary, the claim forms, the claimant portal and the court orders in English and French. The site also has a short questionnaire that routes a claimant to the correct plan, and a calculator for working out the number of cigarettes smoked.You do not need a lawyer to file. The Court appointed Proactio as the official QCAP Agent to help claimants complete and submit a claim free of charge, through its Recours Tabac site. One claimant portal account can be used to file for more than one Tobacco-Victim, so a family filing several claims should not create separate accounts.
QCAP or the Pan-Canadian PCC Plan?
The same CCAA proceeding created two compensation plans, and it is easy to land on the wrong one. A Tobacco-Victim is eligible under one plan only and cannot apply to both.QCAP is the Quebec plan, for diagnoses made before March 12, 2012 by people who lived in Quebec at the time. The Pan-Canadian Claimants' Compensation Plan covers residents of any Canadian province or territory who were alive on March 8, 2019 and were diagnosed between March 8, 2015 and March 8, 2019, and its deadline is much later — September 3, 2027. The smoking threshold is the same twelve pack-years in both.
If you think you have a QCAP claim, the plan instructions say to apply to QCAP through the QCAP Agent, which will check whether the PCC plan would produce higher compensation and, if so, assist in transferring the claim. Note the gap between the two diagnosis windows: a diagnosis made between March 12, 2012 and March 8, 2015 falls into neither plan's criteria.
What Happens Next?
After the August 31, 2026 deadline, the Claims Administrator processes the claims it has received, verifies each Tobacco-Victim's diagnosis and smoking history against the official records, and determines eligibility. Because payment amounts depend on how many approved claims there are, the pro rata calculation — if one is needed at all — can only be performed once substantially all claims have been processed.No distribution or payment date had been announced as of August 28, 2026, and no figure for the expected pro rata adjustment is available from the Administrator or the Agent. The PCC plan's own claim window remains open until September 3, 2027 and is administered separately.
Sources and Verification
• Quebec Class Action Administration Plan summary, Tobacco Claims Canada, the Court-appointed Claims Administrator• QCAP Tobacco-Victim Claim Form and Attachment A instructions, as amended June 19, 2026
• Joint Clarification Order and Endorsement Regarding Claim Form Amendment, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, June 19, 2026
• Clarification Order (Claim Form), Quebec Superior Court, June 19, 2026
• CCAA Plans of Arrangement of Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. and JTI-Macdonald Corp., approved by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on March 6, 2025
• Recours Tabac, the Court-appointed QCAP Agent (Proactio)
Questions
What is the deadline to file a QCAP claim?
August 31, 2026. Claims filed online must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on that date, and claims sent by registered mail must be postmarked by August 31, 2026.
How much does the Quebec tobacco QCAP plan pay?
The maximum is $100,000 CAD for primary lung cancer or throat cancer and $30,000 CAD for emphysema or COPD (GOLD Grade III or IV) if the person started smoking before January 1, 1976. Those who started on or after January 1, 1976 are entitled to 80 percent of those figures, so $80,000 and $24,000. These are maximums, not guaranteed amounts: if the $4.119 billion allocated to the plan is not enough to pay every approved claim in full, compensation is reduced on a pro rata basis.
Do I need medical records to prove my diagnosis?
Not upfront in most cases. The claim form asks for the Tobacco-Victim's Quebec health insurance card number and a signed authorization letting the Claims Administrator obtain confirmation of the diagnosis from RAMQ, the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Quebec Cancer Registry and the MED-ÉCHO database. Only if official confirmation cannot be obtained that way will the Administrator send a notice requesting alternative proof, such as a pathology report or a spirometry report predating March 12, 2012. Do not send alternative evidence unless the Administrator has requested it.
Can I file if the smoker has died?
Yes, through the Succession Claim Form, if the Tobacco-Victim died after November 20, 1998. It is used by the liquidator of the estate, by an heir where the estate is closed, by someone with a mandate or power of attorney to represent an heir, and by the heir of an heir who would have been entitled to claim. The same August 31, 2026 deadline applies.
How many cigarettes do I need to have smoked to qualify?
At least twelve pack-years, which the plan defines as 87,600 cigarettes sold by the three Canadian tobacco companies between January 1, 1950 and November 20, 1998. A pack-year is 7,300 cigarettes, so twelve pack-years is roughly 20 cigarettes a day for 12 years, 30 a day for 8 years, or 10 a day for 24 years. You do not have to do the arithmetic yourself; the Claims Administrator performs the calculation when reviewing the claim form.
What is the difference between the QCAP plan and the PCC plan?
QCAP is the Quebec plan and covers diagnoses made before March 12, 2012 for people who lived in Quebec at diagnosis. The Pan-Canadian Claimants' Compensation Plan covers residents anywhere in Canada diagnosed between March 8, 2015 and March 8, 2019, and its deadline is September 3, 2027. A Tobacco-Victim can be compensated under one plan only and cannot apply to both. If you think you qualify under QCAP, apply to QCAP: the QCAP Agent can check whether the PCC plan would pay more and assist with transferring the claim.
Do I need a lawyer to file a QCAP claim?
No. The plan documents state that you do not need a lawyer to submit a QCAP claim, and Proactio has been appointed as the official QCAP Agent to help claimants complete and submit the form free of charge.
When will QCAP payments be made?
No payment date had been announced as of August 28, 2026. The Claims Administrator states that the pro rata calculation cannot be known until the August 31, 2026 deadline has passed and substantially all claims have been processed, and that neither the Administrator nor the QCAP Agent can provide information about the expected future pro rata calculation.
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