A regular pack of cigarettes, left, and two packs of cigarettes displaying the word 'Light' (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)

By CBC News

Anti-smoking groups are urging the government to move forward with a plan to introduce larger and more graphic warning labels on cigarette packages.

The Harper government has been holding focus groups and testing new warning labels for cigarette packages since it came to power in 2006.

That research wrapped up last year, and several non-smoking groups say it's time for new warnings to replace labels that haven't been updated in years.

But Ottawa said it needs more time to determine what impact the labels would have on smokers' habits.

"If warnings are not refreshed, they become stale and they virtually become invisible," said Garfield Mahood, a spokesman for the Non-Smokers' Rights Association.

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