Senate Committee Wants Tax On Sugary Drinks

Cites alarming obesity rates in Canada

A Senate committee has called for a national campaign to combat obesity, including a new tax on sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages, as well as a ban on food advertising that targets children. “We can’t sugar-coat it any longer. There is an obesity crisis in Canada and sugar is a big part of that problem. We must act,” the committee says. The recommendations are made in a new report on what it calls the “alarming obesity rates in Canada.” Among the key findings of the report: since 1980, the number of obese Canadian adults has doubled to the point where two-thirds of Canadian adults and 33 per cent of children are either overweight or obese.