Thank you for that question.
You're absolutely right. We have to look down the stream in order to transform our health system. It isn't just about the changes we can make today. It's about making sure we stop folks from getting sick, generally. I'm deeply concerned that childhood nutrition and challenges with childhood nutrition are leading to a tsunami of chronic disease and illness. We're seeing diabetes in children. We have to turn that around.
I'm deeply concerned about the advertising targeting children and leading them not only to nutritionally vacant products but also to products, tied to marketing, that are injurious to their health. That's why I want to commend our colleague Patricia Lattanzio for her PMB. It was something I advocated for in my time at Heart and Stroke. It's now working its way through the Senate. We want to see the regulations in place by spring 2024.
I also want to take a minute to talk about front-of-pack labelling and how important that is. That's going to come into force in 2026. There's still a lot more work to do. Canada's food guide was another major milestone in our action on nutrition. We need to be focused on that space. We don't talk enough about nutrition. We talk about physical activity. If we're going to transform people's health and avoid the worst outcomes, healthy eating is critical. Of chronic disease and illness, whether it's heart disease, cancer or stroke—you name it—about 70% is preventable. We can stop people from ever getting sick in the first place.
We have to be up that stream. Not only is it a matter of saving lives, but it will also realize exceptional cost savings. When we see the cuts the Conservatives are talking about in preventative medicine.... That's what the realization will be: more cost, more sickness and more problems. We can't allow that to happen.