Evidence of meeting #22 for Health in the 40th Parliament, 3rd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was children.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Tim Uppal Conservative Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB
As for advertising in general, is the advertising of energy drinks regulated in any way? Can you explain some of the regulations?
President, Refreshments Canada
The marketing of the product in Canada, including sampling--and the law is very clear in terms of sampling--is all under the guidelines that accompany the NHP regulations. I believe, again, that I'm being reasonably accurate with that. The product must be advertised consistent with its intended use.
Perhaps Red Bull can comment in terms of how they purchase their advertising?
Chief Science Officer, Red Bull GmbH
When it comes to the products being sold, from the little I know about the standards here in Canada when it comes to advertising.... For example, when we do TV advertising, the commercials have to be cleared by Advertising Standards Canada. Among other things, they look at the target group for the commercial to ensure that it is really targeted at adults and does not go in the wrong direction--for example, that it is not targeted at children.
Conservative
Tim Uppal Conservative Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB
Who is monitoring this advertising? Is it Health Canada or...?
Director General, Natural Health Products Directorate, Department of Health
Very quickly, it was referred to already: the Advertising Standards Council. We have an arrangement with them, that is, Health Canada does. They are some of the people who monitor, but it is very much a relationship, so we are also looking at this, and so is the marketed health products directorate of the branch.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
I would like to thank our witnesses for coming and sharing their very insightful information with us today. It has been very useful to all of us. I'm now going to suspend the committee for two minutes and then we're going into committee business.
NDP
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Before we suspend, and just to make it easier with regard to clearing the room, if the first thing we're dealing is my motions and then committee business, I request that it not be in camera. Then we actually don't need to worry about quickly getting everybody out as well.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Oh yes, certainly. Sure, we could do that.
We'll do your motions first, and then we'll suspend, because the budgets have to be in camera.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
We will suspend this part of it right now, but Ms. Leslie, could you please go into your motion?
The witnesses may depart.
We'll give you a minute to leave.
I'm going to go right into it because we're going to run out of time. We have neurological disorders today....
I would ask that the conversations.... Ms. Boudreau and Ms. Lefebvre, if you don't want to sit and listen to the motions, do you mind holding the conversations outside? If the rest of you would be so kind, if you don't want to sit and listen to the motions, I would ask you to please.... We need to start the business part.
Ms. Leslie, would you read your motions into the minutes, please?
NDP
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I have two motions to present to committee today. I'll explain whether or not I feel urgency about each one.
The first is:
That the Committee study the issue of the Assisted Human Reproduction Agency of Canada and request that the following witnesses appear before the Committee as soon as possible: Irene Ryll, Barbara Slater, Françoise Baylis, and John Hamm, and that the findings be reported back to the House.
I have the language “as soon as possible” in there; I expect when we discuss this there will be considerable resistance to doing it this spring since we do have a very tight schedule that we've discussed many times in committee. I'm open to any suggestions from fellow committee members about when this could be done.
The second motion—
Conservative
NDP
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Sure.
The one thing I will mention about the second is I don't feel urgency about this one, so we—
NDP
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Thank you.
Just to let you know, Elinor Wilson, president of the AHRA, has been invited to come June 15.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Yes. That's the day of supplementary estimates and that's when you requested.
Conservative
Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON
I think we could agree to that. As my colleague said, though, it's when, because we only have four meetings left. But I guess at some time in the fall....
Conservative