BILL C-368
An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (natural health products)
Is a private members bill. It was introduced to the Canadian House of Parliament on December 5,2023 by Blaine Calkins Member of Parliament for Red Deer—Lacombe Alberta. It is anticipated it will receive second reading around the end of April. After passing second reading bills then go to committee to an all party review of the act and consider amendments.
The full copy of the bill is available on line here, the summary of the act is
“SUMMARY This enactment amends the Food and Drugs Act to provide that natural health products are not therapeutic products within the meaning of that Act and therefore not subject to the same monitoring regime as other drugs.”
The bill proposes sections 500-504 of Bill 47 or the recently passed Budget Implementation bill be repealed. Bill C47 sections 500 – 504 bill, allows the government through Health Canada to regulate natural health supplements the same as therapeutic synthetic drugs. These new regulations seek to impose substantial new fees on the importation, manufacturing, and sale of natural health products, along with stringent new labelling laws.
Bill C47 is “poised to dramatically disrupt the market and represents a direct attack on Canadian consumers and small businesses.” It has been noted that should these sections be implemented “An alarming 70% of brands have indicated that they will need to withdraw products from the market, and 1 in 5 are considering exiting Canada. “ Millions of Canadians rely on natural health product every day.
In the accompanying video Blaine and Carmine of Lifestyle Markets in Victoria – a full service health food and health supplements store discuss how the bill will affect the natural health products industry.ISSUE:
Bill C-47 has imposed severe and unnecessary regulations on natural health products (NHPs), equating them with synthetic therapeutic drugs. This legislative move has introduced onerous fees and strict labeling requirements for the importation, manufacturing, and sale of NHPs.
The safety record of NHPs, evidenced by minimal adverse reactions, undermines the justification for these stringent regulations. In direct opposition to these overreaching regulations, Bill C-368 has been introduced to repeal the restrictive sections of Bill C-47, aiming to safeguard the rights of Canadian consumers and ensure the unrestricted availability of safe and beneficial NHPs.
When I contacted Blaine’s office for a statement in relation to Bill C-368, the responded with a clear statement and summary of the why for Bill C-368
Bill C-47 has imposed severe and unnecessary regulations on natural health products (NHPs), equating them with synthetic therapeutic drugs. This legislative move has introduced onerous fees and strict labeling requirements for the importation, manufacturing, and sale of NHPs.
The safety record of NHPs, evidenced by minimal adverse reactions, undermines the justification for these stringent regulations. In direct opposition to these overreaching regulations, Bill C-368 has been introduced to repeal the restrictive sections of Bill C-47, aiming to safeguard the rights of Canadian consumers and ensure the unrestricted availability of safe and beneficial NHPs.
Please support this bill, write to your local member of parliament, sign the e-petition on the Natural Health Products Protection Association (NHPPA) site.
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