A Quebec dad whose young daughter collects My Little Pony merchandise is tired of fast food giant McDonald's trying to sell those toys - and others - to his child.
So he has enlisted a Montreal law firm for a class action against McDonald's, on the basis that the company is illegally advertising to children, particularly with regards to Happy Meals, one of the chain's best-known products aimed at kids.
Quebec's consumer protection laws prohibit advertising targeted at anyone aged under 13.
Attorney Joey Zukran from LPC Avocat explained the reasoning behind the lawsuit.
"When you have toys being advertised at eye level targeting children - young children - and seemingly nobody could do anything to stop it, we thought a class action would be the most efficient vehicle to deter, dissuade, and prevent the repetition of such practices."
"When you go to a restaurant you don't expect to have your child to ask you to purchase toys, you expect him or her to ask you to purchase food."
Zukran said that fast food companies deliberately focus in on topics that are interesting to kids, not adults.
"Their publicity and their advertising is really targeted to capture a child's attention, to take an item that's hot in the market for children, not for adults, for children at this moment.
for example, Ninja Turtles, Trolls, Smurfs, Minions."
He added that not all fast food companies have this problem, highlighting both Harvey's and Burger King as chains that do better.
"Harvey's will give children a colouring book after the food is purchased. So you basically don't have your child tugging at your arm and legs saying 'mommy, mommy, I want' or 'daddy, daddy, I want that colouring book' because you only get it after the purchase of meals."
The lawsuit will seek punitive damages against McDonald's for its advertising.