Bill C-51 was debated during second reading in the week ending June 13, 2008. During second reading the Government introduced amendments to the Bill.

Bill C-51has become a significant issue for persons in the Natural Health Community. Because of this, it is important for the amendments to be analyzed so that Canadians can understand the impact of Bill C-51 as it is now amended.

Discussion Paper Only

This is a discussion paper only and does not reflect the position of the NHPPA or of the NHPPA advisory board. The thoughts and comments are those of the author, Mr. Shawn Buckley and are intended to foster discussion.

The NHPPA will formulate its position after feedback from the Natural Health Community.

The Government is Claiming Victory for the Natural Health Community

One of the key demands of the Natural Health Community is for the Government to stop regulating Natural Health Products as drugs. According to the media, the Government is now claiming that with the amendments to Bill C-51 they have listened, and have now given Natural Health Products their own distinct category.

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Click here to download this letter as a printable PDF file

Dear____________________________,

Regarding Bill C51 and Health Canada’s (HC) regulation of Natural Health Products (NHPs), please take the time to consider the following before addressing my questions below.

The statement that Natural Health Products are not regulated as drugs, which many MPs and Ministers are making, is false. Under the Food and Drugs Act, there are currently only two choices: Foods or Drugs. In 1997, HC proposed the Establishment Licensing Act to stop regulating NHPs as foods, and move them all into the drug category. In one of the largest protests of all time, Canadians made it resoundingly clear they did not want this. The issue went to the Standing Committee on Health, and it was firmly established that the approval model used for pharmaceuticals could not be fairly applied to NHPs. Accordingly, the Committee’s first of 53 accepted recommendations to Parliament was that the Food and Drugs Act be amended to provide NHP’s with a distinct third category, separate from either “foods” or “drugs.” HC then held country wide consultations on the issue, and publicly announced that by far the number one desire of Canadians was to have increased access to a wider range of NHPs. Yet, against the public’s wishes, and Parliament’s directive, HC classified NHP’s as drugs anyway.

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The NHPPA has fielded many inquiries concerning whether Bill C-51 should be stopped or amended. Because of the tremendous threat posed by Bill C-51 the NHPPA is taking the position that:

• Bill C-51 must be stopped, not amended, and

• The “Amend” Bill C-51 campaign threatens to undermine the Stop Bill C-51 efforts and permit Bill C-51 to pass with only superficial amendments.

Bill C-51 is too Dangerous to Take Chances With

Bill C-51 is the most significant threat to the Natural Health Community in generations. Some of the problems with Bill C-51 include:

On April 8, 2008, Prime Minister Stephan Harper introduced Bill C-52 in the House of Commons. The stated purpose of the Bill is to protect consumers. The Federal Government has been aggressively advertising to convince Canadians that the new law will protect them.

The NHPPA has asked me to prepare this Discussion Paper on Bill C-52 out of a concern that the Bill may represent an unprecedented encroachment on freedoms currently enjoyed by Canadians. The NHPPA is focussed on protecting Canadians’ access to Natural Health Products. Although Bill C-52 does not specifically target Natural Health Products, the NHPPA is concerned that Bill C52 sets a precedent where Canadians will accept the removal of their rights in the name of safety. Also, if Bill C-51 is defeated but Bill C-52 passes, Bill C-52 could be made applicable to Natural Health Products by way of a regulatory amendment to Schedule I of Bill C-52.

A standing, special or legislative committee may make its views known to the House and brings forward recommendations on matters it has studied by presenting a report to the House. Under Standing Order 109, a standing or special committee may request that the government table a comprehensive response to its report within 120 days of the presentation of the report.

Read more…

Report of the Standing Committee on Health
Joseph Volpe, M.P.
Chair

LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS

c-51_menace_immediate_produits_sante_naturels

The NHPPA has received hundreds of questions from concerned citizens who are genuinely confused about how the law-making power of parliament actually works.

This link is to the parliamentary website’s explanation of the process. There are many variations from the broad themes outlined here.

Many Canadians rely upon natural health products for their health. These products are endangered and consumers need to act now to save them.

Since 2004 when the Natural Health Product Regulations were introduced, natural health products have been increasingly threatened. The new Regulations were Health Canada’s response to consumer demands for the government to protect their access to natural health products. The Regulations have had the opposite effect. To “legally” sell a health product the new Regulations impose a licensing requirement. The problem is that 60% of licence applications have failed. These have been the “easy” applications. Expectations are that 70-75% of applications will fail. For the NHP Community this means that 75% of NHPs we rely upon for our health will become illegal.

The current 60% failure rate for product license applications has mainly involved applications for single-ingredient products. This means that 60% of single ingredient NHPs have failed to pass Health Canada’s stringent safety and efficacy standards.