This week I had the privilege to rise in the House of Commons in support of my private member’s bill C-252. The bill makes amendments to the Food and Drugs Act and aims to prohibit the direct marketing of certain foods and beverages, which contain excessive amounts of saturated fat, sugar and sodium to children under the age of 13.

Without legislation, nor clear guidelines, we cannot simply count on multi-national corporations to self-regulate their targeting practices to children. This has proven unsuccessful in several countries, and that is why I wanted to tackle this issue. In so doing, the bill will help improve the health and wellbeing of children and families.

The bill was adopted by a majority of votes (208 for) in the House of Commons, with support from every political party but the Conservatives. I would like to thank the stakeholders and researchers who have advocated for the passage of bill C-252 as well as the support of my colleagues. The bill will now be sent to the Senate, where I look forward to collaborating with senators to ensure that it passes swiftly, is adopted and receives royal assent to become law.