It’s Been Another Busy Week Of Advocacy At NHPPA
On the heels of Bill C-368 passing second reading last Wednesday, Shawn Buckley was called to appear before the Standing Committee on Finance to discuss proposed changes in Division 31 of Bill C-69, Canada’s 2024 Budget Bill, which includes substantive changes to our Food and Drug Law. As a quick reminder, Division 31 of Bill C-69 proposes new Health Canada powers to:
- Regulate off-label drug and natural health product uses.
- Restrict the autonomy of medical professionals.
- Exempt drugs from important existing safety standards such as fraud, adulteration, and manufacture in sanitary conditions.
Shawn did not mince words during his appearance, stating “I’m of the opinion that the messaging by the government, the Minister of Health, and Health Canada is actually fraudulent to the Canadian people.”
We encourage you to listen to the audio recording of Shawn’s appearance to learn more about the changes to drug and natural health product regulation proposed in Bill C-69. Unfortunately, we anticipate this Bill will become law before Parliament recesses for summer, so it’s important for you, as a Canadian, to understand how these proposed changes may affect your access to health options.
We Think You’ll Want To Understand This Issue
As mentioned above, Health Canada has proposed new powers to restrict the off-label use of therapeutic products by healthcare practitioners, including pharmaceutical drugs, natural health products, and veterinary medicines.
If these broad powers are granted to Health Canada, it would be a significant regulatory overreach, affecting the autonomy of healthcare practitioners and the rights of patients.
If you haven’t already, we encourage you to read Shawn Buckley’s Discussion Paper titled Alarm Bells in Health Policy: The Hidden Changes in Bill C-69, to learn more.
Read the Discussion Paper
