Health committee  --and then he will do that.

Health committee  He has asked us to speak with senior officials--

Health committee  It's a very important comment, and we are clearly taking action on this. As I mentioned in my remarks, the Public Health Agency of Canada has created a new directorate with the capacity to address obesity as a core priority along with its work in addressing the socio-economic determinants of health and--

Health committee  There is not as yet, but we are setting the stage with capacity to do that. We have brought all the players together initially in the health portfolio. We have just established a DG-level committee that's actually meeting this Thursday in order to coordinate our efforts on this issue.

Health committee  What I can say is that the government has clearly not been silent on the issue of trans fats. It has taken this committee's recommendation into consideration as well as that of the task force, looked at the situation with respect to industry progress, and has acted to introduce a policy approach that would provide for mandatory regulation within a two-year period if in fact industry does not comply with the recommended trans fat levels in their food products.

Health committee  I'm not sure if it's specifically on the agenda for that meeting, but as I mentioned, it was on the agenda for a recent deputy ministers meeting from all different stakeholders to address the issue of unhealthy weights in general, including in children. As well, I would like to say that we are moving toward the engagement of and have developed a plan for the engagement of other federal departments--

Health committee  Here is a comment before Mary responds in more detail. I think it's important to consider the evidence of progress in the reduction of trans fats in food products produced by the industry. It's not to say that the problem is resolved, but certainly industry is moving in the right direction.

Health committee  The trans fat monitoring program that has been instituted by Health Canada will allow us to closely track the progress of industry on this, and we will not be able to specifically answer that question until we receive the results.

Health committee  I am unable to respond to the question of who got to us; however, in terms of the rationale for the policy approach, I would ask Mary to reiterate.

Health committee  Thank you very much for your comments. There are a number of questions within those. Clearly, I don't think it's a question of why have we waited so long; I think it's a question of dealing with a very complex issue where we need to understand the measures that will be most effective at addressing this complex set of underlying factors driving the dramatic gain in weight, not only among children but also among the Canadian population in general.

Health committee  I think another important part of responding to your question is the new first nations regional health survey that I mentioned in my opening remarks. This is specifically designed to collect the kind of data we were previously lacking, in order to address the issue of childhood obesity and other health issues among aboriginal populations.

Health committee  We are working through the first nations and Inuit health branch. The response to earlier questions demonstrates the kinds of programs we are putting forward to support physical activity and healthy eating on reserve. For further details on your question, I'll turn to Kathy Langlois, from the first nations and Inuit health branch.

Health committee  As I mentioned in my remarks, the public consultation will now include the issue of front-of-package labelling. To give you further specifics on those consultations and how they will occur, I'll turn to my colleague Mary L'Abbé.

Health committee  Again, I'll turn to my colleague Mr. Rocan to provide details on the Joint Consortium for School Health and address your question.

Health committee  This is a very important area. Clearly you are right in that what goes on in schools is a factor, and that there has been some deterioration in terms of the amount of time spent in schools on at least mandatory physical and health education. It's an issue that we are concerned about.