Imperial Tobacco is denouncing a federal government decision to implement plain packaging for tobacco products in Canada.

The tobacco company says it is shocked, calling the decision to move forward with regulations a “nanny state” approach. The head of corporate and regulatory affairs at Imperial Tobacco, Eric Gagnon, says plain packaging does not change consumer behaviour and helps to fuel what he calls the “booming illegal tobacco market in Canada.”

The industry says while Ottawa imposes a plain packaging policy on the legal tobacco industry, over 20 per cent of the market remains controlled by illegal operators and criminal organizations.

The plain packaging regulations, considered some of the most comprehensive in the world, are being applauded by the Canadian Cancer Society.