Thank you.
Good morning.
I would like to thank the members of this committee for inviting me to follow up on the research paper into the questionable nature of energy drinks, which I sent in March 2010.
In one 12-hour period from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on January 6, 2008, I lost a vibrant, healthy, and much-loved 15-year-old son. My son, Brian, died from an unexplained arrhythmia several hours after being witnessed drinking a Red Bull energy drink given to him in a free handout by Red Bull representatives.
I buried him. And then I did some research. I learned. And I learned a lot. I learned that my late son's death is one of an ever-growing number of deaths for which no one can find a definitive cause of death.
But given the intake of an energy drink the day he died, I suspect that energy drinks were at least a contributing factor to his death, if not the whole cause. I'm disheartened by the information I've learned since Brian's death and I tried to distill the essence of my research in a paper that I submitted to this committee in March 2010.
Let me take you through some material by Refreshments Canada, an umbrella group for a wide variety of beverages, including some energy drinks. I will quote from the material.
Claim number one states, “Energy drinks are currently sold in every major regulatory jurisdiction and in more than 150 countries around the world”. It says, “Health authorities and scientific expert panels in these various jurisdictions around the world have assessed energy drinks and their ingredients and have concluded that energy drinks are beverages that can be safely consumed”. False.
Claim number two states, “Energy drinks are formulated and recommended for adults”. False.
Claim number three states, “...our members fully support the International Council of Beverages Association's guidelines regarding marketing and children that were adopted in 2008. The ICBA guidelines permit no marketing or advertising of beverages other than water, fruit juice, and berry-based beverages, to children less than 12 years of age”. False.
Claim number four states, “Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages and are not recommended to be mixed with alcohol”. Intentionally misleading.
You'll find an addendum at the end of these remarks that lists the sources I used for this section.
My main goal is to protect youth by keeping these products out of the hands of minors. How? By banning sales to minors, by placing restrictions on the advertising and marketing of energy products, and by creating regulations that allow regulators to take potentially unsafe products off the market immediately.
Recently, Health Canada allowed the further use of caffeine in more soft drinks, a drug that leads to addiction and dependence. I remember when, decades ago, some courageous and discerning individual started to examine cigarette smoking with regard to a possible link to cancer. I'm going out on a limb here; I predict that there is a parallel between the past questioning of cigarette smoking and the present challenge to an increased use of caffeine. We will never be wrong if we act with what is called “an abundance of caution”, especially where children are concerned.
The methods we used in the past have proven ineffective at making positive change in our society. What are these methods? Essentially, waiting until enough harm has occurred before we act.
Instead, let's act on what could be called the “just in case principle”. When something threatens harm, even though there's no definitive proof, we take precautions just in case.
I ask this committee to carefully consider my energy drink concerns and return to Parliament with strong recommendations: one, to stop the abusive marketing and advertising to youth; two, to ensure that mistaken regulations like allowing the injection of caffeine in more soft drinks than in the past be changed and that unenforceable regulations are replaced; and three, to inspire your provincial counterparts by taking the lead in banning the sale to minors.
Please work together regardless of party affiliation. Start by reversing the decision to allow the broader use of caffeine in all carbonated soft drinks. This can only lead to the further demise of health in our children. I promised my late son that I would continue to advocate for change until our youth are safe. I hope that you will make my promise your promise.
I'm available to this committee at any time. I thank you for your patience and your courtesy.