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House Hansard - 103

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 27, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 103 - Sep/27/22
Mr. Sébastien Lemire (Abitibi—Témiscamingue, BQ)
Madam Speaker, currently, more than half of Quebeckers are overweight, and 18% are obese. Obesity affects 6% of 12- to 17-year-olds and 17% of 18- to 24-year-olds. These statistics show that, for some people, obesity sets in early in life. We have to take this problem seriously, but what can we do? Schools, public places and workplaces need to make it easy for everyone, young and old, to make healthy choices when it comes to being physically active, eating properly and, most importantly, limiting their consumption of sugary drinks. Why I am pointing the finger at sugary drinks? It is because the total number of people living with diabetes has doubled since 2000. The science shows that being overweight and especially being obese increases the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and certain cancers. The health care cost of obesity is estimated to be nearly $3 billion, not to mention the effects of sugar and acidic drinks on oral health, which might also render the NDP-Liberal agreement useless. That said, according to Quebec's Weight Coalition, advertising directed at children has a significant economic impact for the industry. We know that children have economic power because they influence almost 40% of family purchases. Since 2006, Canadian children have spent close to $3 billion in allowance money. They are more vulnerable to advertising. They may not yet have the ability to recognize the commercial nature of advertising. Above all, advertising builds brand loyalty among current and future consumers. I would like to commend all those who have overcome, for example, their addiction to Diet Pepsi, which is one of the most difficult things to do. In particular, I want to commend my girlfriend. In conclusion, we must protect children from marketing. For that reason, the Bloc Québécois will vote in favour of this bill, provided that the provinces, like Quebec, have full jurisdiction. There must be clear, informative labelling to counteract the appealing colours, imagery and characters used in the ads. Food labelling must be clearer, and that is a federal jurisdiction. We propose mandatory labelling of foods and products like GMOs. This should not be left up to businesses. The federal government must introduce a traceability program to properly inform consumers and to promote buying local.
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