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Is Canada’s obesity problem out of control?

One government committee thinks Canada’s obesity rate is out of control. And they are suggesting a sugar tax to reduce it. 

Cola Glass

Has Canada’s overweight problem reached alarming levels? One Canadian senate committee seems to think so and they are calling for a country-wide campaign to take down obesity levels.

Just how are they proposing to do so?  According to The Globe and Mail, they want Canada to create a new tax on sugar-laden beverages as a way to discourage Canadians– especially children– from gulping down the unhealthy pops and juices.

The senate committee stands on social affairs and science and is led by Kelvin Ogilvie. Their call for the tax is backed by a report which they released on Tuesday. In their report, they refer to Canada’s obesity problem as “alarming” and having reached “crisis” levels. They also found that two thirds of Canadian adults are either overweight or obese. As for children, that numbers stands at 33 per cent, report The Star.

Another idea that the committee suggested was banning beverage marketing campaigns from targeting children as they drown out messages related to healthy eating.

Right now the tax on sugary beverages is just a proposal– it has not yet been given the go-ahead. The Canadian Diabetes Association is one organization that backs this idea though. According to The Globe report, they say that these types of drinks could easily be done away with since the sugar intake one gets doesn’t also come with any nutritional benefits provided by the drinks.

But not everyone is on board. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says that a tax like this wouldn’t necessarily lead to a healthier Canadian population reports The Globe article.

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