It has been more than 25 years since the first of 10 Canadian provinces filed a lawsuit against three major tobacco companies for harms incurred by Canadians from smoking. The mixture of emotions that greeted the recent draft settlement is understandable. It’s the work of bankruptcy lawyers, not public health professionals.

One truth stands out: the $32.5-billion proposal is not nearly large enough to compensate for the harm that tobacco use has caused. The proposed settlement also does little to hasten the day when we might see a tobacco-free Canada.

The settlement does provide important payments to the provinces to help cover health costs, but it is only a fraction of the actual costs associated with the harm of tobacco. And the settlement provides some compensation for tobacco’s victims and their families instead of more years of endless waiting — a good thing.

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