Diabetes association wants tax added to sugary drinks in Canada
Canadian Diabetes Association wants federal candidates to support tax on sugary drinks
The Canadian Diabetes Association is calling on federal leaders to support and eventually introduce a tax on sugary drinks.
The association made the announcement on Wednesday, asking all the federal parties to support a tax on any drinks sweetened with sugar because of their link to Type 2 diabetes.
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The group pointed to countries like France and Mexico who have already introduced a similar tax to deter people from drinking the beverages.
The association also called for two other initiatives: a national pharmacare program to help patients pay for their medications and expanding the disability tax credit to people with Type 1 diabetes.
According to the association, an estimated 10 million Canadians have diabetes or prediabetes, and they say the disease cost Canadians $14 billion in health care and economic costs.
The condition can cause strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure and other health complications.