New Democrat MPP Rosario Marchese is introducing a bill to fight childhood obesity in Ontario by banning commercial advertising for food or drink directed at children under 13 years of age.

Marchese is pushing McGuinty’s Liberals to take action on what Ontario’s former Chief Medical Officer, Sheela Basrur called “a growing epidemic” by putting forward his bill modeled after the Quebec law, which has banned all advertising aimed at children since 1982.

"Child obesity is a growing concern in Ontario and we want to support parents who want to help their children make good choices,” Marchese said. “We may not be able to control all the variables that contribute to poor diets and bad eating habits but we can control this one.”

To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Whereas child obesity in Ontario has become an epidemic, in the words of former Chief Medical Officer, Sheila Basrur,

Whereas food and beverage products developed advertised to children are dominated by those that are calorie dense and nutrient poor;

Whereas families are under-equipped to shelter their children from an industry that uses child psychologists to market products;

Whereas marketers spend a great deal of money to influence childrens’ choices;

Whereas the Toronto Board of Health, Ontario’s former Chief Medical Officer Sheila Basrur, Canada’s Standing Committee on Health and the World Health Organization are all concerned about childhood obesity and have produced reports urging governments to look into restrictions on advertisement targeted at children;

Whereas governments have the responsibility to help parents when it comes to their children’s physical health;

Whereas Toronto’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. David McKeown has urged all levels of government, including Ontario, to prohibit all commercial advertising of food and beverages to children under the age of thirteen years.

Therefore we, the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to support and pass Bill 53, the Consumer Protection Amendment Act on Advertising Food or Drink, to prohibit commercial advertising for food or drink that is directed at children under 13 years of age.