The expected number of deaths in four hypothetical Canadian cohorts (male current smokers, male never-smokers, female current smokers and female never-smokers) was examined by constructing abridged life tables. The expected number of premature deaths (before age 70) among lifelong smokers was found to be about twice that expected among lifelong never-smokers for both males (2.3) and females (1.9). The higher number of premature deaths in the smoking cohorts resulted mainly from cancer and coronary heart disease. The results of this paper highlight the dramatic impact that smoking has on premature mortality.