Hon. Pat Duncan: Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to Bill S-254, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (warning label on alcoholic beverages), introduced by our honourable colleague Senator Brazeau.

I appreciate his initiative and offer my deepest respects to all of my colleagues who have shared their personal stories. I honour you for sharing your personal journey in a very public way.

Gùnáłchîsh, mähsi’cho. Thank you. I’m grateful to all senators for your presence and commitment to this debate and to Canadians.

Honourable senators have on several occasions mentioned the Yukon experience with labelling on alcohol. I believe sharing the full story and the Yukon experience will foster and contribute to the fulsome review of this bill as it moves to committee for further study.

As a sidebar, senators may be aware that on June 13 we will celebrate the one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary of the Yukon Act. Senators may not be aware that part of the impetus for this act of Parliament was to regulate and collect taxes on alcohol in the Yukon Territory.

Yukon has a high rate of alcohol consumption to this day. It was also the high consumption of alcohol that prompted the territory to begin labelling alcohol more than 25 years ago.

Since 1991, liquor sold in the Yukon has had a warning label that drinking during pregnancy can cause birth defects. I mentioned during my second reading speech on Bill S-253, the national framework on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder act, that Yukon legislators and Yukoners have been dedicated for many years — decades — to the message that abstinence during pregnancy is best.

The Yukon Liquor Corporation has long advocated, as have many provinces, for a responsible approach beyond the labelling initiative with the Be A Responsible Server, or BARS, program.

Honourable senators, the mandate letter given in January 2017 to the then-minister responsible for the Yukon Liquor Corporation, John Streicker, required him to consult the Yukon Liquor Board, business community, consumers and civil society organizations to assess whether the Yukon’s Liquor Act met current needs and provided an appropriate balance between economic opportunities and social responsibility.

The Northern Territories Alcohol Labels Study, an initiative of the University of Victoria, including researchers from Public Health Ontario, was developed and proposed in 2014. The study outline was to focus on the effectiveness of alcohol warning labels while also providing an opportunity to raise awareness about low-risk alcohol drinking guidelines, standard drink information and public health warnings.

Honourable senators, the preliminary survey of residents supporting the work of the study was conducted at both the Whitehorse, Yukon and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories liquor stores. The Northwest Territories had also been using warning labels regarding the risks of drinking during pregnancy for some time.

In the Northern Territories Alcohol Labels Study, the Northwest Territories was the control case and the Yukon was the test case. The study began upon receiving funding from Health Canada in 2017.

In November 2017, Yukoners were advised there would be new warning labels on alcohol in the Whitehorse liquor store. Information about the support campaign for the research study indicated it included information about Canada’s low-risk alcohol drinking guidelines, standard drink measurements and how to reduce alcohol-related harms.

The media release about the warning labels quoted lead investigator Dr. Erin Hobin, who said, “Many Canadians remain largely unaware of the link between alcohol use and serious health risks including cancer.”

It also quoted Yukon Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Brendan Hanley, who stated that:

Having the Yukon Liquor Corporation participate in this study is an opportunity to learn more about our citizens’ consumption and how we might help them further enjoy healthier lifestyle choices.

Dr. Hanley is now Yukon’s Member of Parliament.

About a month later, the Northern Territories Alcohol Labels Study was suspended to evaluate the scope and messaging of the labels applied during the study.

Honourable senators, in February 2018, after discussions with the researchers, national brand representatives and other stakeholders, the Government of Yukon resumed the study. The study now used two labels to educate consumers, one that shows a standard drink size and a second that provided low-risk alcohol drinking guidelines. The health warning label about cancer was no longer part of the study.

The Yukon has a relatively small budget, few members in its legislative assembly and cabinet ministers usually have several portfolios. One subtle yet important difference between Yukon and the other territories and provinces is that the minister responsible for the sale of liquor in the provinces isn’t necessarily present at the cabinet table like they are in the Yukon. How does the Yukon cabinet minister responsible for the liquor corporation persuade cabinet colleagues to engage in litigation with a major Canadian industry rather than spend the territorial budget on health care, education or repairing highways damaged by melting permafrost? Although the health warnings about cancer were no longer an element of the study, the research work is of real value in assessing whether warning labels are effective.

In his speech earlier this week, Senator Plett made it clear that there are conflicting findings and opinions on warning labels, and the honourable Leader of the Opposition made some valid points. In my region, we saw the effectiveness of warning labels. From the study, I note that people remember what the labels said, people talked about the labels and people drank less. From the study:

Brightly coloured alcohol warning labels with a cancer warning, national drinking guidelines, and standard drink information help consumers make more informed and safer alcohol choices.

This is why I support the adoption of this bill at second reading and referring it to committee. Senator Plett and I are in agreement on that. Obtaining a consensus on the science, as was suggested, before we adopt the bill and send it to the other place is absolutely essential. Scientists tend to find points of contention on most issues, not unlike lawyers, economists and parliamentarians. By including diverging opinions and research findings in the examination of the bill, I’m confident that the committee will find an acceptable way.

The Northern Territories Alcohol Labels Study is one of the scientific studies that absolutely should be considered, along with the experiences of the Yukon government.

I note that Senator Brazeau, in recent media discussions of this bill, had a can of corn in his hand, pointing to the label on it. As a regular visitor to the grocery stores in Ottawa and in Whitehorse, I read the labels, and I witness many individuals doing the same. We want to know just how much sugar, fat, fibre and sodium is in the food we consume. We all are, or should be, acutely aware of the warning labels on the cleaning products we use. We are advised to safely store the brightly coloured detergent pods as they are dangerous if swallowed, not to mention the warnings on and banning of gardening products like pesticides and herbicides that are known to be carcinogens. Canada announced yesterday that warning labels will now be affixed to individual cigarettes.

Honourable senators, clear, science-based, peer-reviewed evidence supports the link between the consumption of alcohol, be it wine or beer, and cancer. This bill calls upon Canada to have a warning label that clearly states that alcohol is a known carcinogen. I trust that the committee that receives this bill will have a thorough review of it. The urgency with which this study should begin has been noted by Senator Mégie and others.

I strongly recommend the committee consider the information obtained through the Northern Territories Alcohol Label Studies and the Yukon experience. I look forward to offering my support to the committee’s work, and, once the standing committee has done their due diligence, to send this bill to the other place for their support on this very important initiative. Thank you, colleagues. I appreciate your time tonight. Thank you, gùnáłchîsh, mähsi’cho.