Bill C51: taking away your right to natural health products in Canada...

This bill is being pushed through faster than it can be
reviewed, and there is good reason. In
the month of April the House of Commons had the first sitting to discuss the
bill, and as of the beginning of May they are already in the second
sitting! One might go as far as to say
that it seems there are unwholesome interests being served with many of these
proposed changes to the Food and Drug Act.
Phone, fax, or e-mail your Member of Parliament ASAP (info below), and
let them know how you feel, fact is, most of them do not even know what is
happening!

The following is just a glimpse:

1. Every natural product seller must licence EACH product
and pay a fee to renew this each year.
The proposed fees will do nothing but sink small companies that cannot
afford this, thus leaving only large companies (i.e. pharmaceutical) to hold
the key to our natural health! With
already existing NHP Act, over 60% of the products that have already gone
through application for licensure have not passed! How are they determining this, and what is
going to be left when all is said and done?

2. Language. Changing
all natural health products and drugs (anything other than food) to 'therapeutic
products'. The last time Canadians spoke
out against the NHPD (natural health products directorate) proposals it turned
out to be the biggest outcry by the people in Canadian history. It was definitely heard when Canadians said 'don't treat our foods as drugs',...and hence
a 3rd category was developed, Food, Drugs, & NHP (natural health product). NOW, with the proposed change in language
(anything other than food falling under 'therapeutic product') do you think the
same outcry would hold the same weight, 'don't
treat our natural health products as therapeutic products',...doesn't quite
hold the same rallying weight does it!
They are praying on simple advertising principles to make argument
difficult and to throw off the public.

2. The definition of the term 'selling' within the Act will also change. It seems it will open the door to prosecuting naturopathic,
homeopathic, Traditional Chinese medicine, and other healthcare practitioners
for prescribing natural medicine. As
well, as ridiculous as it sounds, a parent that gives their child a natural
remedy could have legal action taken against them.

3. Controlled activity.
This seems to limit prescription of natural health products to properly
licenced practitioners, taking away freedom from the public. It also seems that
an amendment to the act may be targeting farming practices and regulating who
can process, collect, and preserve.

4. Change to the definition of 'government'. They are adjusting the meaning of this word
to include international organization of states, i.e. the 'United Nations' and
organization alike would have influence in the way we govern ourselves. The
truly scary part of this, is this same amendment proposes to allow regulations
to become law without Parliamentary approval!

5. Product monographs (detailed descriptions) will now
become part of the natural product label
(did I mention, even if it is not actually physically attached to the product!).
Therefore if a monograph from a manufacturing company disagrees with the Health
Canada version, there may be room for prosecution, quite possibly to the
manufacturer and the people selling the product.

6. Government appointed inspectors (university students?) will
have the power to enter your home or place of business, at any time,
and if they find a controlled herb (i.e. dandelion leaves), you could
be in big trouble. The new penalties are: for summary conviction
offences a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months for a
first offence, and a fine of up to $500,000 and/or up to 18 months of
incarceration for subsequent offences, and, For indictable offences a fine of
up to $5,000,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 2 years. These are penalties that few manufacturers or
natural health practitioners could survive. Small and medium manufacturers
along with natural health practitioners now face bankruptcy for violations of
the Act or Regulations.

This is just scratching the surface,…As well these are my
interpretations. Please take the time to
pass this along or do more research on your own. We must raise awareness.

Hi Spence,

I still believe in the power of the people and I think if a large protest was organized somehow and held in downtown Vancouver it would be very easy to get the media over there to televise it and at the end of the story there could be an address on tv televised where to write to your member of parliament etc.   I would be willing to help! 

Natalie Luckhardt 

THIS Thursday, May 22nd, 8:30am - 12:00pm

Departmental officials from Health Canada will be in BC to hold
briefings on Bill C-51, Natural Health Product Regulations. These
briefings are open to stakeholder groups. As natural health
practitioners, we would be eligible to attend.

Lorne Brown, Dr. TCM, FABORM
Acubalance Wellness Centre Founder & Clinical Director
Vancouver and Langley

I've been looking into this issue beginning with the grassroots website http://stopc51.com/ mentioned above. I was not able to find a contact name on that site or anything about who put it up - only a couple of phone number and an email address (support [at] truehope [dot] com). Fortunately, whois databases give a new and phone number for all registered internet domains. GoDaddy.com gives:

Stewart, Ian sicorp [at] telus [dot] net
PO Box 888
Raymond, Alberta T0K2S0
Canada
(403) 795-9007

Ian Stewart is the director of regulatory affairs for Truehope Nutritional Support Ltd, the manufacture of Truehope EMPowerplus - a $70 per bottle mail order multivitamin
sold for the treatment of bipolar disorder and “multiple deficiencies
in numerous areas of the body including the Central Nervous System.” The phone number for the StopC52.com site is also the 1-888 number for TrueHope.

Truehope has been in conflict with Health Canada over its claims for EMPowerplus and its refusal to comply with the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations so it's not surprising that they would object to efforts to strenthen efforcement of existing laws - even to the point of misrepresenting the bill with howlers like "be sure and close the drapes if you plan to give your child an herbal remedy or have some peppermint tea." The actual text of the bill can be read here.

When a well financed pharmaceutical manufacturer like Truehope pretends to be a grassroots movement, it's traditionally called astroturfing although the word Swiftboating has recently come into common usage. I consider this to be dishonest but YMMV.

Just something to consider before

Sadly, you have not demonstrated that you have actually read the bill. In fact, it is likely the case that you have not, and maybe this would be advisable for someone who wishes to write about it. You are entitled to your opinions, however, that is just what they are. You have managed to stretch the words in the document so far they no longer bare resemblance to the original. Frankly, it makes me sick, and I hope you take this opportunity to realize that your words are nothing more than propaganda. 

actually you are right, I have not read the bill (I am not a lawyer),...although, this info comes from the lawyer that health canada must answer to when new bills are being proposed. He HAS read the bill and his interpretations are the ones we trust and respect. One last thing I would like to add; using the media through any means to raise awareness about an issue that threatens our charter of rights as a canadian is never wrong,...this is called freedom.