Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2022-09-27 17:15:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Michael Cooper (St. Albert\u2014Edmonton, CPC)",
        "fr": "M. Michael Cooper (St. Albert\u2014Edmonton, PCC)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"7304159\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to Bill <a data-HoCid=\"11546288\" href=\"/bills/44-1/C-252/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibition of food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">C-252</a>, legislation that seeks to amend the Food and Drugs Act, and more specifically seeks to impose an advertising ban on unhealthy food and beverage products to youth under the age of 13. This bill is substantively similar to Bill <a data-HoCid=\"8439397\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-228/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibiting food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">S-228</a> from the 42nd Parliament, which I similarly opposed.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304160\" data-originallang=\"en\">The objective of the bill is a laudable one. After all, obesity is a real problem in Canada among young people. Recent data indicates that approximately 30% of children and youth between the ages of five and 17 are obese. That is not good. That is a problem, and it is one that we must work toward addressing.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304161\" data-originallang=\"en\">The issue with the bill is not its laudable objective, but rather that it seeks a simplistic solution to a complex problem, that of childhood obesity, for which there are many underlying factors. It is truly a multidimensional challenge.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304162\" data-originallang=\"en\">The idea proposed in the bill is not a new one. Similar advertising bans have been implemented in other jurisdictions, including in the province of Quebec. In the case of Quebec, the law has been on the books for more than 40 years.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304163\" data-originallang=\"en\">Unfortunately, the data from jurisdictions that have such bans in place demonstrate that the intended purpose of reducing childhood obesity has not borne out. In the province of Quebec, it has been on the books for 40 years. What has happened in the last 40 years? Childhood obesity has gone up, not down. If it worked, we would expect to see it go down, but that has not happened.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304164\" data-originallang=\"en\">Looking at other jurisdictions within Canada, we see that these types of bans have not had their intended impact. We can look at a province like Quebec, which has a ban, and provinces like Alberta, which do not. For example, the Canadian community health survey indicates that my province of Alberta has a similar level of childhood obesity as that of the province of Quebec.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304165\" data-originallang=\"en\">Given that this has been tried and tested in other jurisdictions and it has not worked, it is difficult to see how implementing this nationally would suddenly work. I do not believe it will. The evidence is not there, and on that basis alone, this bill merits to be defeated.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304166\" data-originallang=\"en\">Let me stress that this is not just a bill with a laudable objective and with a solution that has not worked, but maybe it would work, so let us give it a try. No. This bill, if passed, would have very serious repercussions to key sectors of the economy, including reducing the GDP, costing jobs and, ironically, adversely impacting youth amateur sport.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304167\" data-originallang=\"en\">With respect to some of the economic concerns of this bill, this bill has the potential to have major ramifications when it comes to food and beverage advertising writ large. That is a result of vague language in the bill. More specifically, the bill would seek to ban advertising directed primarily at persons under the age of 13.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304168\" data-originallang=\"en\">The bill says advertising \u201cthat is directed primarily at\u201d. What does \u201cdirected primarily at\u201d mean? The bill does not specify. It does not provide any clarity. Instead, it is left to regulators at Health Canada to fill in the blanks. That simply is not good enough.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304169\" data-originallang=\"en\">It is not good enough that we would be voting on a bill that seeks to impose an advertising ban without understanding exactly what it is we are banning. When the previous iteration of the bill, Bill <a data-HoCid=\"8439397\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-228/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibiting food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">S-228</a>, was studied, key stakeholders, including the Retail Council of Canada and Restaurants Canada, expressed concern that the bill could result in a sweeping ban of all food and beverage advertising directed at adults and children alike.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304170\" data-originallang=\"en\"> This concern was informed by indications that Health Canada would be taking a broad view of interpreting what constitutes child-directed marketing. To mitigate against unintended consequences, these and other stakeholders put forward recommendations to tighten up the language and incorporate more precise language into the bill. That precise language recommended by key stakeholders remains absent from this version of the bill, so the very issue that was raised with respect to Bill <a data-HoCid=\"8439397\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-228/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibiting food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">S-228</a> remains a problem with respect to Bill <a data-HoCid=\"11546288\" href=\"/bills/44-1/C-252/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibition of food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">C-252</a>.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304171\" data-originallang=\"en\">With respect to amateur sport, the bill before us could prevent, or at the very least diminish, corporate partnership and sponsorship of youth amateur sport. There are sponsorships, such as Timbits hockey, Timbits soccer, and McDonald's Canada, which sponsors more than 50,000 kids to play hockey, that could be shut down as a result of the bill because of the broad definition of \u201cadvertisement\u201d under the Food and Drugs Act coupled with the vague language in the bill. Indeed, when Bill <a data-HoCid=\"8439397\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-228/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibiting food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">S-228</a> was studied, Hockey Canada and Canada Soccer expressed real concern that millions of sponsorship dollars for their organizations would dry up. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304172\" data-originallang=\"en\">It is a bit ironic that a bill that seeks to reduce childhood obesity would have the effect of taking away programs and opportunities for young people to participate in amateur sport, which is a tried, tested and proven way to stay healthy and avoid obesity, in contrast to the bill before us, which is a tried, tested and failed way to reduce childhood obesity. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304173\" data-originallang=\"en\">In closing, Bill <a data-HoCid=\"11546288\" href=\"/bills/44-1/C-252/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibition of food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">C-252</a> is just another Liberal government-knows-best bill. It would put power in the hands of regulators instead of putting power in the hands of parents. We on this side of the House, as Conservatives, trust parents not bureaucrats to make the best decisions, including health decisions for their children. For that and the reasons I have outlined, I will be opposing the bill. </p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"7304159\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, je prends la parole pour m'opposer au projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"11546288\" href=\"/bills/44-1/C-252/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibition of food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">C\u2011252</a>, une loi qui vise \u00e0 modifier la Loi sur les aliments et drogues, et qui vise plus particuli\u00e8rement \u00e0 interdire la publicit\u00e9 de boissons et d'aliments malsains destin\u00e9e aux jeunes de moins de 13 ans. Ce projet de loi est essentiellement similaire au projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"8439397\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-228/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibiting food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">S\u2011228</a> pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 pendant de la 42<sup>e</sup> l\u00e9gislature, auquel je me suis \u00e9galement oppos\u00e9.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304160\" data-originallang=\"en\">L'objectif du projet de loi est louable. Apr\u00e8s tout, l'ob\u00e9sit\u00e9 est un v\u00e9ritable probl\u00e8me au Canada chez les jeunes. Des donn\u00e9es r\u00e9centes indiquent qu'environ 30 % des enfants et des jeunes \u00e2g\u00e9s de 5 \u00e0 17 ans sont ob\u00e8ses. Ce n'est pas bon. C'est un probl\u00e8me, et c'est un probl\u00e8me que nous devons nous efforcer de r\u00e9soudre.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304161\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le probl\u00e8me avec le projet de loi n'est pas son objectif louable, mais plut\u00f4t qu'il propose une solution simpliste \u00e0 un probl\u00e8me complexe, celui de l'ob\u00e9sit\u00e9 chez les enfants, pour lequel il existe de nombreux facteurs sous-jacents. Il s'agit v\u00e9ritablement d'un d\u00e9fi multidimensionnel.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304162\" data-originallang=\"en\">L'id\u00e9e propos\u00e9e dans le projet de loi n'est pas nouvelle. Des interdictions de publicit\u00e9 similaires ont \u00e9t\u00e9 mises en \u0153uvre dans d'autres territoires, notamment dans la province de Qu\u00e9bec. Dans le cas du Qu\u00e9bec, la loi est en vigueur depuis plus de 40 ans.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304163\" data-originallang=\"en\">Malheureusement, les donn\u00e9es provenant des endroits o\u00f9 on a mis en place de telles interdictions d\u00e9montrent que le but vis\u00e9, soit r\u00e9duire l'ob\u00e9sit\u00e9 chez les enfants, n'a pas \u00e9t\u00e9 atteint. Au Qu\u00e9bec, une interdiction de ce genre est en vigueur depuis 40 ans. Que s'est-il pass\u00e9 ces 40 derni\u00e8res ann\u00e9es? L'ob\u00e9sit\u00e9 chez les enfants n'a pas diminu\u00e9, elle a augment\u00e9. Si cette mesure \u00e9tait efficace, on pourrait s'attendre \u00e0 ce que l'ob\u00e9sit\u00e9 chez les enfants diminue, mais ce n'est pas ce qui s'est pass\u00e9. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304164\" data-originallang=\"en\">En examinant d'autres administrations au Canada, on constate que ce genre d'interdiction n'a pas eu les effets escompt\u00e9s. Comparons le Qu\u00e9bec, o\u00f9 une interdiction est en place, avec l'Alberta, o\u00f9 il n'y en a pas. Selon l'Enqu\u00eate sur la sant\u00e9 dans les collectivit\u00e9s canadiennes, le taux d'ob\u00e9sit\u00e9 chez les enfants est semblable dans les deux provinces. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304165\" data-originallang=\"en\">Comme les mesures prises dans certaines provinces se sont r\u00e9v\u00e9l\u00e9es infructueuses, il est difficile de comprendre comment le fait de les \u00e9tendre \u00e0 l'ensemble du pays pourrait soudainement devenir efficace. Je ne crois pas que ce sera le cas. Il n'y a aucune preuve \u00e0 cet effet, et cette raison \u00e0 elle seule m\u00e9rite qu'on rejette ce projet de loi.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304166\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je me permets de souligner qu'il ne s'agit pas simplement d'un projet de loi avec un objectif louable et une solution inefficace, mais qui pourrait fonctionner, alors pourquoi ne pas tenter le coup. Non. S'il est adopt\u00e9, ce projet de loi aurait de tr\u00e8s graves r\u00e9percussions dans des secteurs cl\u00e9s de l'\u00e9conomie. Il entra\u00eenerait une baisse du PIB, provoquerait des pertes d'emplois et, ironiquement, il aurait des effets n\u00e9gatifs sur le sport amateur chez les jeunes. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304167\" data-originallang=\"en\">Pour ce qui est des pr\u00e9occupations \u00e9conomiques qu'inspire ce projet de loi, rappelons qu'il pourrait avoir une incidence importante sur la publicit\u00e9 d'aliments et de boissons en g\u00e9n\u00e9ral, et ce, en raison des formulations floues utilis\u00e9es. Ce projet de loi aurait pour objectif d'interdire la publicit\u00e9 destin\u00e9e principalement aux personnes \u00e2g\u00e9es de moins de 13 ans.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304168\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le texte dit donc cibler la publicit\u00e9 \u00ab principalement destin\u00e9e aux \u00bb. Que signifie ce \u00ab principalement destin\u00e9e \u00bb? Le projet de loi ne le pr\u00e9cise pas. Il ne fournit pas d'\u00e9claircissements. Ce sera plut\u00f4t aux responsables de la r\u00e9glementation de Sant\u00e9 Canada de pallier les impr\u00e9cisions. Ce n'est tout simplement pas acceptable.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304169\" data-originallang=\"en\">Il n'est pas acceptable de mettre aux voix un projet de loi qui vise \u00e0 interdire un certain type de publicit\u00e9 sans comprendre exactement sur quoi porterait l'interdiction. Pendant l'\u00e9tude de la version pr\u00e9c\u00e9dente de cette mesure, le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"8439397\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-228/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibiting food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">S\u2011228</a>, des intervenants importants, dont le Conseil canadien du commerce de d\u00e9tail et Restaurants Canada, ont dit craindre qu'il m\u00e8ne \u00e0 l'interdiction g\u00e9n\u00e9rale de toute publicit\u00e9 d'aliments ou de boissons, qu'elle soit destin\u00e9e aux adultes ou aux enfants.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304170\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Ces craintes reposaient sur des renseignements selon lesquels Sant\u00e9 Canada interpr\u00e9terait de fa\u00e7on tr\u00e8s large la notion de publicit\u00e9 destin\u00e9e aux enfants. Cherchant \u00e0 \u00e9viter des cons\u00e9quences non souhait\u00e9es, divers intervenants, dont ceux que j'ai nomm\u00e9s, ont formul\u00e9 des recommandations afin de pr\u00e9ciser le texte du projet de loi. Les formulations plus pr\u00e9cises recommand\u00e9es par les principaux intervenants ne figurent toujours pas dans la version actuelle du texte. C'est donc dire que le probl\u00e8me qui avait \u00e9t\u00e9 signal\u00e9 \u00e0 propos du projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"8439397\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-228/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibiting food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">S\u2011228</a> n'a toujours pas \u00e9t\u00e9 r\u00e9gl\u00e9 dans le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"11546288\" href=\"/bills/44-1/C-252/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibition of food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">C\u2011252</a>.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304171\" data-originallang=\"en\">\u00c0 propos du sport amateur, le projet de loi devant nous pourrait pr\u00e9venir, ou \u00e0 tout le moins r\u00e9duire, les partenariats et les commandites des grandes soci\u00e9t\u00e9s dans le sport amateur des jeunes. Certaines commandites, par exemple les \u00e9quipes de Timbits, les \u00e9quipes de soccer Timbits, et McDonald\u2019s Canada, qui parraine plus de 50 000 jeunes joueurs de hockey, pourraient \u00eatre annul\u00e9es si le projet de loi \u00e9tait adopt\u00e9 en raison de la d\u00e9finition g\u00e9n\u00e9rale de \u00ab publicit\u00e9 \u00bb qu\u2019il pr\u00e9voit et des dispositions de la Loi sur les aliments. En effet, quand le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"8439397\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-228/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibiting food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">S\u2011228</a> \u00e9tait \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9tude, Hockey Canada et Canada Soccer avaient exprim\u00e9 de s\u00e9rieuses inqui\u00e9tudes, all\u00e9guant que les commandites de millions de dollars vers\u00e9es \u00e0 leur organisation respective n\u2019allaient pas \u00eatre renouvel\u00e9es. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304172\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je ne peux m\u2019emp\u00eacher de souligner qu'il est paradoxal qu\u2019un projet de loi visant \u00e0 combattre l\u2019ob\u00e9sit\u00e9 mette fin \u00e0 des programmes et \u00e0 des possibilit\u00e9s qui aident les jeunes \u00e0 pratiquer un sport amateur. Pourtant, des essais, des tests et des preuves existent pour d\u00e9montrer que le sport permet de pr\u00e9server la sant\u00e9 et d\u2019\u00e9viter de devenir ob\u00e8se. On ne peut dire la m\u00eame chose du projet de loi sur lequel nous nous penchons. Voil\u00e0 un moyen \u00e9prouv\u00e9 de ne pas r\u00e9duire l\u2019ob\u00e9sit\u00e9. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7304173\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je terminerai en disant que le <a data-HoCid=\"11546288\" href=\"/bills/44-1/C-252/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibition of food and beverage marketing directed at children)\">C\u2011252</a> n\u2019est qu\u2019un autre projet de loi fond\u00e9 sur le principe que le gouvernement a toujours raison. Ce projet de loi accorderait du pouvoir aux autorit\u00e9s r\u00e9glementaires au lieu des parents. Les d\u00e9put\u00e9s de ce c\u00f4t\u00e9-ci de la Chambre, comme les conservateurs, font confiance aux parents et non aux bureaucrates pour prendre les meilleures d\u00e9cisions possible pour leurs enfants, y compris en mati\u00e8re de sant\u00e9. Pour toutes les raisons que je viens d\u2019\u00e9noncer, je suis contre ce projet de loi. </p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2022/9/27/michael-cooper-2/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/michael-cooper/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4382/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "11822077",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Private Members' Business",
        "fr": "Affaires \u00e9manant des d\u00e9put\u00e9s"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Child Health Protection Act",
        "fr": "Loi sur la protection de la sant\u00e9 des enfants"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2022/9/27/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2022%2F9%2F27%2F"
    }
}