The federal government will not support a Senate bill requiring health warnings on liquor labels, according to a briefing note from the Department of Health.Blacklock's Reporter says the move comes despite the Canadian Medical Association backing the legislation, which links alcohol to 17,000 preventable deaths in Canada each year.The note, titled Alcohol Labeling and Marketing, said the government “supports public awareness activities to reduce alcohol-related harms” but stopped short of endorsing mandatory labels. “By increasing awareness, we help people in Canada make informed decisions about their alcohol use,” it added. Officials said they would continue to monitor international alcohol policy and public health research.Bill S-202, An Act to Amend the Food and Drugs Act, would require all alcohol products to carry warnings about the health risks of consumption. A similar proposal, Bill S-254, lapsed in Parliament in 2023.Dr. Margot Burnell told the Senate social affairs committee that labels are necessary to inform Canadians about alcohol’s dangers. “As physicians, we witness the effects of alcohol use on our patients every day,” she said. “We know alcohol consumption leads to over 800,000 hospital and emergency room visits each year.”.Burnell noted that alcohol has long been classified as a Group One carcinogen, yet more than 40 % of Canadians are unaware it increases cancer risk. She said alcohol is among the top three preventable risk factors for cancer, after cigarettes and obesity, and is linked to more than 200 health conditions including liver cirrhosis, cardiovascular disease, alcohol use disorder, and complications in newborns.Sen. Patrick Brazeau (Que.), sponsor of the bill and a recovering alcoholic, called drinking unsafe and accused the alcohol industry of putting profits ahead of public health. “It does ruin lives and kills people… It led me down a very, very, very dark path,” he testified. “The alcohol industry and lobby are interested in one thing and one thing only, and that’s profits. They do not care about the health and well-being of Canadians.”The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction recommends adults consume no more than two standard drinks per week. A standard drink is defined as a bottle of beer, a glass of wine, or a 1.5-ounce shot of liquor.
