Canadian Medical Association is sweet on N.L. doctor's proposal for a soda tax

Canadian doctors are drinking up a motion from Newfoundland and Labrador health-care professionals to ask the federal government to tax sweetened beverages.

"Applying it on a national level would mean the same definition across all provinces," says Dr. Lynn Dwyer, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association.

• Soda tax 'more powerful than anything I've ever seen'
• Taxing sugary drinks could help cut consumption, researchers say

Dwyer presented the resolution last week at the annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Associationin Quebec City.

It calls for the federal government to tax sugary drinks, including soda, energy drinks, juice and vitamin water.

The type of tax Dwyer recommends would bump up the shelf price of the drinks in the store.

"[These] taxes have been shown to be an effective solution in deterring the purchase," she said, referencing a 10 per cent tax imposed on sweetened drinks in Mexico in 2014. The price hike managed to cut sales of sugary sodas by six per cent.

Started in Newfoundland and Labrador

The idea came from the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association, and it wasn't intended to be Canada-wide. The N.L. medical associationwas originally considering proposing a provincial soda tax to the government.

But after a little more research, they saw that the tax would work a lot better if it was federal. So Dwyer pitched it to their national counterparts.

The Newfoundland and Labrador government have entertained the idea of a junk food tax in the past, but they decided its administrative burden would be too heavy to bear.

The Canadian Medical Association also called on the federal government to tax "high-calorie, low-nutrient" food in 2007, but problems arosewhen it came to defining exactly which foods fell into that category.

A soda tax handled by the federal government would solve both of those problems: provinces wouldn't be on the hook to handle the paperwork, and it's easier to pin down what qualifies as a sugary drink, said Dwyer.

Major health benefits

She says the tax could have major health benefits.

"When we drink these sugar-sweetened beverages, our bodies metabolize them quicker," says Dwyer. "That can lead to increased rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer."

Dwyer says there are numerous other groups and organizations on board for the soda tax, including the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Dieticians of Canada, medical associations across the country and, of course, dentists.

Last year, the World Health Organization recommended a 20 per cent tax on sweetened beverages.