Beginning in January, smoking will no longer be allowed in vehicles with children under the age of 19.
Nova Scotia is the first Canadian province to impose the ban. Laws prohibiting smoking in cars with children have been passed in several U.S. states and in several Australian states.
Second-hand smoke levels in vehicles and other confined spaces are higher than in other public places, such as bars, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. Research also shows childhood exposure to second-hand smoke is linked to sudden infant death syndrome, ear infections, asthma and respiratory disease.
"The bill is not out to make criminals of mothers and fathers. It's there to ensure the health of children," Joe Gillis, spokesman for Premier Rodney MacDonald, told AFP.
Critics of the legislation said the new act will be difficult to enforce with thousands of automobiles plying Nova Scotia roads.
But Nova Scotia's Minister of Health Promotion and Protection believes the enforcement of the measure supported by the supported by the Canadian Medical Association may not be as hard as imagined.
"Hopefully, we won't ever see a charge or conviction under this section of the legislation," said Barry Barnet.
Fines of around $385 may be levied through a ticket system.
Rob Cunningham, a senior policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society in Ottawa, said his group welcomes the bill's passage.
"We're absolutely delighted that this bill has passed. We believe this will have impact in provinces across the country to encourage similar laws to be adapted," he said.
Similar measures to ban smoking in vehicles with kids have been proposed in British Columbia and Ontario.
