Canadian Expatriates, its contributors, and readers have been invited by Foreign Affairs Canada to participate in a series of eDiscussions. The current topic is “Showcasing Canadian Culture and Know-How Abroad”.

We are asked to consider the following questions:

What role does Canadian culture and know-how play in our foreign policy?

How might the government best promote Canadian talent and expertise in the world?

The eDiscussion runs from April 4 to May 6, 2005. At its conclusion, a summary of the discussion will be sent to senior policy planners.

The Expat admin team encourages its readers to join in the eDiscussion at the Canadian International Policy website.

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The administration team is currently searching for Canadian expatriates who would be interested in contributing to the Expat Blog. The subject matter is wide open, but must remain family friendly.

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Thank you!

Last May, it was announced that Canada's Food Guide was to be revamped to reflect Canada's multicultural mosaic. When interviewed about the planned changes back in May, Mary Bush, the director-general of Health Canada's office of nutrition policy and promotion said, "Part of the challenge is to make the food guide relevant for Canadians. It's most relevant when it speaks your language, when it has foods that you consume." As an example of this relevance, Ms. Bush pointed to the addition of Tim Horton's to the food guide in 1992.

Recently, an unnamed source at Health Canada contacted Canadian Expatriates with news that our suggestions of foods reflecting Canada's diversity were considered when making the new proposals for the revised food guide. The new guide is to prominently feature the full line of Tim Hortons' Timbits, in addition to poutine, Old Dutch chips, Coffee Crisp, and beaver tails. The unnamed official went on to say, "Finally, we have a guide to healthy eating that all Canadians can agree upon and follow."

Not so says Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, medical director of the Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa, who calls the new proposal of the new food guide "obesogenic".

"Should anybody who is of average height and size follow Canada's Food Guide, there is a very, very good chance it will lead to weight gain," Dr. Freedhoff said in an article published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal today.

In defense of the new proposals, Ms. Bush responded that Health Canada has taken specific steps in the new guide to combat overeating. For example, the number of recommended servings has been reduced and have also been broken down into categories based on age and sex. Ms. Bush also noted that obesity is a global epidemic that extends beyond the recommendations of Canada's Food Guide and that "anyone who suggests that a food guide in a country like Canada is responsible for this global epidemic, I don't think has a grasp on what the issues are that are contributing to obesity."

Besides, everyone knows that the calories don't count if you chew with your eyes closed.


Mmmmm... Doughnuts!