An Act to prohibit the promotion of alcoholic beverages
Bill S-290 in 44-1 was a Senate Private Member's Bill prohibiting the promotion of alcoholic beverages through broadcast, online, and printed advertising, the 44-1 precursor to Bill S-203 of 45-1. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction estimates approximately 17,000 alcohol-related deaths annually in Canada per their 2024 report. The 2023 CCSA Canadian Guidance on Alcohol and Health recommended that any alcohol use carries health risks (a shift from the 2011 low-risk drinking guidelines). The bill paralleled the federal Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (S.C. 1997, c. 13) restrictions on tobacco advertising and the Ireland 2026 mandatory-warning-label rollout. Did not pass third reading; reintroduced as S-203 of 45-1.
Status
Quick learn
Would ban advertising and promotion of alcohol on TV, online, and in print, modelled on Canada's tobacco-advertising rules, after 2023 guidance found any drinking carries health risk and alcohol is linked to about 17,000 deaths a year. A Senate bill; it returns in the 45th Parliament as S-203.
Issues this bill touches
- Cost of Living
Restricts advertising and promotion of alcoholic beverages, modelled on tobacco-advertising rules.
Legislative history
- First reading
First reading in the Senate.
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Official source
Read full text on Parliament of Canada