Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I spoke of some alarming statistics involving our daily intake of sugar and some of the national guidelines that will be forthcoming from the National Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
People, more than ever, are naturally hardwired to sugar and some have even coined sugar as a new tobacco of our generation. In the wake of the NWT’s successful Drop the Pop campaign, now, more than ever, the premise of an awareness campaign dedicated to sugar is highly warranted.
My questions will be for today’s Sugar Daddy, the Minister of Health and Social Services.
---Laughter
Mr. Speaker, the statistics quoted today were Canadian national averages from Statistics Canada. Does the Minister have any relevant NWT statistics on how much sugar is consumed daily by NWT residents? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Based on the reality that we have high rates of diabetes in the Northwest Territories, I would say our rate is high. I’m agreeing with the Member. Unfortunately, I don’t have any statistics available on hand to indicate what the consumption of sugar is in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I was hoping for a sweeter answer than that. I will challenge the Minister and his department to research this a little bit more thoroughly.
That said, can the Minister indicate, with the pending guidelines on sugar consumption coming soon from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, what is his department doing in preparation of this announcement? Thank you.
The Department of Health and Social Services is obviously doing a number of things to try to curb the intake of sugar and other things such as tobacco. We do have the Drop the Pop, which the Member so clearly articulated. We do have dieticians and nutritionists available throughout the Northwest Territories to provide advice and guidance to our residents.
The Medical Association deals with patients on a regular basis. We have nurses in our communities who have well men and well women clinics encouraging people to eat healthy, live healthy, be healthy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Sugar is an addiction of sorts, and like all addictions, one needs to understand the root cause of its abuse.
Can the Minister indicate what he’s doing to deal with the root cause of more affordable, healthy eating choices in all communities and specifically what is he doing with daily sugar consumption for our residents? Thank you.
A number of the health promotion activities that we are undertaking indirectly address some of the consumption of sugar. I’m not sure and I can really speak to the specifics of whether we have programs aimed just purely at sugar, but I will get that information for the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
I appreciate the Minister for his contribution. One only has to look at some quick Internet searches to see all the worldwide initiatives and awareness programs around the reducing of our sugar intake. One such initiative, called Action on Sugar, aims to help people avoid hidden sugars and tackles awareness.
Given the call for obesity in the Northwest Territories, will this Minister commit to a concerted effort to reduce NWT sugar intake by mirroring a similar campaign made for the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I’m not familiar with the particular campaign that the Member is talking about, but I like the premise and I like the concept. I would certainly like to sit down with committee and discuss how we can reduce sugar intake in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
