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But Eyolfson, who is sponsoring the bill in the House of Commons, said he is suggesting an amendment to limit its scope to children under 13, mirroring legislation that has existed in Quebec for years.

Photo by Chris Mikula/Postmedia/File

He said the original bill was at risk of being challenged as a limit on freedom of expression — a challenge the Quebec ban has already weathered at the Supreme Court.

The food industry is striking back, claiming the new legislation doesn’t even provide a definition of “unhealthy food” — a guideline will be supplied at a later date by Health Canada bureaucrats.

The industry is also appealing to the libertarian impulse of parents who believe they should be the arbiters of what their children watch and eat. It argues that the debate distracts from the real causes of childhood obesity — the lack of balance between diet, screen time and physical activity.

But the government is committed to the bill, despite the risk of unintended consequences for businesses that rely on sales of junk food, like convenience stores, or on advertising by packaged food companies, like broadcasters.

Justin Trudeau’s mandate letter to new Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor calls on her to introduce restrictions on the commercial marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children “similar to those now in place in Quebec,” where the upper age limit is 13.

Greene Raine said she was persuaded to raise the age limit from her original proposal after hearing expert testimony that suggested when children first leave home and have their own spending money, their tendency is to buy food their parents may not agree with.