Hon. Andrew Cardozo: Honourable senators, I rise to speak in support of Bill S-202, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (warning label on alcoholic beverages).

This is legislation to implement health warning labels on alcoholic beverages. These warning labels would have to include a statement to the effect that there is a direct link between alcohol consumption and cancer. I want to thank Senator Patrick Brazeau for sponsoring this important bill, and I would like to be able to say that this is a timely bill, but, really, it is well overdue.

You may be aware that I am the Senate co-chair of the parliamentary cancer caucus, alongside my colleagues in the other place, members of Parliament Dan Albas and Jean Yip. While the caucus has not met to take a position on this bill, I am speaking as an individual senator.

While Canadians generally understand that drinking heavily is unhealthy, there is less awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer. This link is well established scientifically, but according to the Canadian Cancer Society, over 40% of Canadians are not aware that alcohol consumption increases cancer risk.

Importantly, alcohol consumption is linked to seven types of cancer: head and neck, breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, stomach and pancreatic cancers. This connection between alcohol and cancer is neither shaky nor new. The World Health Organization classified alcohol as a carcinogen some 40 years ago.

We also know that health labelling is an effective means of transmitting this information. In the government’s 2023 Public Awareness of Alcohol-related Harms Survey, they noted that 75% of respondents said that a health warning label would make them think about the harms caused by alcohol. Furthermore, 55% supported health warning labels on alcoholic beverages.

Alcohol is currently an exception. Tobacco and cannabis products already come with health labelling, and, indeed, the same exists for most food labelling. Currently, there is more health information available on a can of peas than on an alcoholic drink. This is a discrepancy that this bill will address.

We know that the alcohol industry, with some exceptions, has been opposing the proposed labelling measure for years. The tobacco industry denied and obfuscated the facts for many years too. In essence, it resisted giving consumers the information that they needed to make informed choices. However, health labelling has now rightly become the standard across a wide variety of products.

[Translation]

I want to be clear on one important point. This bill is not about preventing people from consuming alcohol. It is about enhancing consumer freedom and promoting good health by addressing an information imbalance. The goal is to empower consumers so they can accurately weigh the costs and benefits.

[English]

This bill is about enhancing consumer freedom and good health. Some argue that these minor packaging requirements will be too exacting on the alcohol industry, yet practically every other industry producing non-perishable goods for human consumption seems to get by just fine.

Many other countries already mandate health labelling for alcohol, some on cancer and some on other dangers. People continue to drink. Alcohol producers continue to produce and export their products. Life goes on.

During this debate, it was correctly pointed out that tobacco is responsible for 15% of new cancers, while alcohol is responsible for a comparatively low 3%. Additionally, we should note that there are about twice as many alcohol users as there are tobacco users globally.

Consequently, these two addictive substances call for different approaches that reflect their differing levels of harm and the different ways in which they cause harm. However, the fact remains that alcohol is a leading preventable cause of death, contributing to over 17,000 deaths in Canada each year, both cancer-related and non-cancer-related deaths.

To be more specific, a study in The Lancet Public Health journal, published earlier this year, found that in 2022 there were 9,500 cases of cancer attributable to alcohol and nearly 4,000 deaths in Canada.

Now, what would these labels look like? Colleagues, this afternoon, I have emailed all of you some examples of labels that could be used and that are clear and prominent but not overwhelming. Under this legislation, distinctive branding by alcohol producers will very much continue to exist. The proposed labels would be only a minor part of the packaging.

For those listening to this debate beyond this chamber, I have posted these labels on my LinkedIn page and on my website, senatorcardozo.ca.

The details will be developed by the Department of Health after the passage of this bill.

[Translation]

Colleagues, it is estimated that 40% of cancer cases could be prevented through healthier lifestyles.

Public policy should focus on encouraging and facilitating lifestyles that prevent disease and social harm while respecting Canadians’ rightful freedom to live their lives as they see fit.

[English]

By focusing on raising awareness and ensuring Canadians are informed, this bill meets both criteria. Non-intrusive warning labels are at the bottom end of the public health intervention options available to us. Ensuring consumers are equipped with the facts is a proportionate response to the degree of harm that alcohol can cause to its users.

Colleagues, this bill is about promoting good health and reducing cancer. For these reasons, I will be voting in favour of Bill S-202, and I encourage you to consider doing likewise. Thank you.