At first, I was rather annoyed at the two million Quebecers who are seeking reparations from Big Tobacco in a class-action lawsuit to the tune of $27 billion. These people, I told myself, are reaching for a scapegoat to mask their own poor decisions, and worse, expect to cash in on those mistakes.

Credit is due to the Ottawa government for having picked Ms. Tarbox as their new poster child. But for every Barb Tarbox, there is a James Dean. For every death statistic, there is a hero, real or fictitious who has beaten the odds and has come out on top.

OTTAWA - Canada's top court has snuffed out any hope Big Tobacco had of dragging the feds into lawsuits against cigarette companies.The Supreme Court ...