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Volume 3 Issue 5
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CDA
at
W
ork
This year’s discussions focused on three key
topics: sugar reduction, changes to the small
business tax rate, and the oral health care
of Syrian refugees. All of these matters also
appear on the new Liberal government’s
agenda, making them great opportunities
to collaborate on nation-wide initiatives and
policies.
Sugar Reduction
The previous Conservative federal
government had made the reduction of
sugar intake a priority and had consulted
with several organizations, including CDA,
on how to improve nutrition labelling
regulations. To CDA’s great relief, sugar
consumption is also a topic of concern of
the new government. “We are pleased to
see that while a new party is in office, the
significance of the issue is not fading,”
says Dr. Randall Croutze, CDA President.
Minister of Health Jane Philpott’s mandate
letter mentions the importance of
“introducing new restrictions on the
commercial marketing of unhealthy
food and beverages to children” and
of “improving food labels to give more
information on added sugars and artificial
dyes in processed foods.”
CDA’s message resonated strongly with
parliamentarians, and all of them confirmed
they would support CDA’s position, including
Bill Casey, chair of the House of Commons
Standing Committee on Health. Many
Days on the Hill discussions revolved around
the negative impact of sugar on overall
health, and on oral health in particular. “It
was important for us to clearly underline for
new MPs the direct connection between
sugar consumption and tooth decay,”
explains Dr. Tom Raddall, chair of the
CDA Advocacy Committee.
The winds of
change blew over
Parliament Hill last
fall, bringing close to
200 new members
of parliament
(MPs) to the House
of Commons. To
help forge a strong
foundation with these
new influencers and
inform them of issues
affecting dentistry,
CDA held its annual
Days on the Hill event
onMay 10 and 11.
CDA Days on the Hill
BUILDINGNEW
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