Trudeau's Liberals propose soda tax policy for October federal election

A group of Ontario Liberal MPs intend to make a soda tax an issue in the upcoming October federal election.

In a list of "caucus platform priorities" obtained by CBC News, the soda tax was listed as the 18th most important platform for the Liberals.

CBC also reports that "several MPs are pushing hard to include it in the platform for the October election—and to link it to funding for a program to provide healthy lunches to grade school students nationwide."

Ajax MP Mark Holland wrote a summary of the soda tax which reads in part, "Place a levy on SSB (sugar sweetened beverages) to push consumers away from purchasing them, while using those funds raised to fund a national healthy eating strategy that would provide nutritious lunches to schools."

"I'm certainly fighting for it. I think it is something that could really be an important part of a platform," Liberal MP Julie Dabrusin (Toronto) told the CBC.

The rationale behind the tax is to improve the health of Canadians. There is currently no scientific consensus on the idea that soda taxes lead to better health outcomes.

What do you think of the Liberals running on a soda tax platform? Let us know in the comments below!