Canada To Ban 60% Of All Supplements! Act Now!

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www.stopc51.com

Please, everyone, go to this site and read up about this horrible bill and do what you can - forward it to friends, spread the word, sign petitions, if you're in Canada join a protest; do anything you can! The more people who are aware of it the more can be done to stop it!

This bill is being pushed through by the big pharmaceutical companies and government to strictly control all vitamin and mineral supplements and anything related to healthcare that isn't from them. Their profits are diving as more and more people turn to a more holistic view of healthcare and take control of their own decisions, leaving them vulnerable and threatened - so they've created a bill that will choke the growing alternative industry and give them the monopoly. The scope is huge - according to the way it's phrased, a mother giving her child a honey and lemon drink to cure a sore throat can be prosecuted. Someone growing nettle or dandelion to make their own herbal tea can be prosecuted. Anyone giving one of these to anyone else can be prosecuted. Most natural healthcare doctors and therapists of all different specialities and fields and disciplines can be prosecuted for practising or for giving out aftercare medicines like herbs or vitamins or skin rubs. The list is endless!

This bill is setting a precedent for this kind of thing around the world, and it's being pushed through without people realising it's even happening - it's not in the media, nobody seems to notice but it's going to have enormous implications.

Please, everyone - this doesn't just involve the natural health practitioners and the pharma companies, this directly affects any parent wanting to help their child, any friend wanting to help a friend, any person wanting any ounce of control over their health and their bodies and their decisions.

Act fast before it's too late!!

I'm not Canadian, but anyone who is please go sign that petition. The same thing is coming to the United States, and eventually the world. It is part of a program called Codex Alimentarius which is being forwarded to be adopted by all nations by the UN and its underlying organizations. However, it is strictly governed by economic trade interests, and its decisions have very little to do with promoting actual nutrition or health. Large mega-national corporations have it sewn up lock, stock and barrrel, like Bayer, Monsanto, Proctor and Gamble, Merck, and other big pharma and large corporate farming interests. It is bad news if you believe you should be in charge of what does and does not go into your own body. If it gets passed, kiss vitamin and mineral supplements, organic foods, and alternative health products good-bye.

Go to http://www.healthfreedomusa.org if you are in the USA for the entire low down, as well as a petition you can sign.

For other citizens of other nations, google "Codex Alimentarius" and you should be able to find organizations in your country that are fighting it.

can you please tell me where it says that it will be strictly controlling vitamin and mineral supplements?

from what i read, it more has to do more with the regulation and control (read as standarization) of nhp's. this is NOT a bad thing.

for years i worked in retail in a pharmacy environment, where these nhp's did nothing but confuse customers, because you couldn't compare brand to brand, because they were not considered 'drugs', but a 'food' item, so there was no consistency to what you were getting from one brand to another, there was no standardization, so dosing in one brand was completly different in another. standardization is a good thing. it will make it easier for anyone who uses them. seriously.

and we aren't talking about things like vitamin c supplements and garlic and fish oils that have been around and standardized for years...at least that isn't what i was getting from what i read.

so again, if you have read something different into this and can clarify for me how this is a bad thing...please let me know.

until then, i'm happy to finally see this kind of bill.

I'm puzzled by why this would be happening in Canada.

It's pretty obvious that the Canadian political spectrum is shifted to the left of the American political spectrum.

Distrust of big corporations is more characteristic of the political left than the right.

It's been my impression that people interested in alternative medicine generally tend to have more leftward politics, although this is not always true.

Canada has socialized medicine. I've never heard of a pharmaceutical corporation supporting socialized medicine. Seems I've heard somewhere that prescription drugs are cheaper in Canada than in the US, but I'm not sure about this.

There's something here I don't understand.

All corporations care about is selling their products. When they can get a monopoly on those products, profits soar. Socialized medicine provides golden opportunities for monopoly, because consumer choice is taken out of the equation. Sure the law appears benign, but as always the devil is in the details. The vague wording is one problem. Basically, anything not specifically permitted will be banned (Napoleonic law as opposed to common law, which allows for anything not specifically restricted to be allowed). That is what I get out of it.

Here is how it will work: Limit the amount that ppl can consume of vitamin and mineral supplements too low for proper nutrition. The food we get now is already too low in nutrients, thanks to mega corporate farming, genetic engineering, etc. So, poor nutrition means people get sick, then they need medicine. Then limit their access to alternative health products.... Big pharma to the rescue! Public health goes down the toilet, big business gets bigger.

The left/right paradigm is dead. It has been for decades. Both parties have sacrificed their souls on the twin altars of statism and globalism. Fascism and socialism play quite well together - China is a prime example: the communist country that all the big capitalists are flocking to. The only paradigm that matters is the up/down paradigm. Individualism vs collectivism. The establishment in both parties are hell bent on total control over every facet of our lives... the grassroots are trying to salvage freedom.

Drug companies might not like socialized medicine but that doesn't mean they don't sell drugs to Canada. They just figure they can make more in a non-socialized system; or a socialized system where they have strong control over policies.

I suppose what would happen if this goes through is that all the companies that make supplements will be forced out of business (or to no longer sell in Canada, at least). Then, the big companies backing the bill can begin manufacturing "legally approved" supplements. And since it would be a monopoly they could charge whatever ridiculous price they wanted. If a free market is one's thing, then the problem is this is totally anti-competative and reduces consumer choice.

One another level it's another step toward corporatist totalitarian control.

I couldn't find the petition.

sodarktheshadows, read the lawyers' appraisal on the stopc51.com website; as LoveableNerd said, the devil is in the detail. This appears benign but it is anything but - anything that isn't strictly allowed can be controlled or banned, or forced out of business.

CockneyRebel - google 'Stop C51 petition' or 'stop c-51 petition' and you'll come up with a few.

Here are the top two:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/StopC51

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stop-C51/

And here is a lot of info/advice on what you can do: http://www.google.co.nz/search?sourceid ... 1+petition

There's also a Facebook group with over 29,000 members now if you do a search on there with links to petitions and protest march dates etc.

As a Canadian, I approve of the idea. I have not yet read the wording.

What the Government of Canada has to say about it.

Then they'd better reword major parts of it if they truly believe that's the case, and that is their intention... otherwise, that's patently not true.

Everything written after that is false unless the wording is changed.

Yes, natural health products need to be regulated, as does anything we eat. But it is at best disingenous and at worst downright criminal to hide behind this fact and use it as a way to push this bill through and prosecute the people who will be prosecuted, and to deny everyday people the right to access whatever products, herbs, supplements etc they want for their health, and instead force them to go down the pharmaceutical road for treatment against their will.

Link to the actual bill before the House of Commons.

The pertinent bill:



A. Preamble

The nine-paragraph preamble notes, among other things, the need for a continued commitment to public health and safety and the need for ongoing assessments of information about therapeutic products. It also notes that regulated persons are responsible for ensuring that products meet legislative requirements, and highlights the importance of openness and transparency in the regulatory decision-making process.
B. Title and Definitions (Clauses 1–3)

Clause 1 of the bill changes the long title of the Food and Drugs Act to “An Act respecting foods, therapeutic products and cosmetics.” “Therapeutic products” include drugs, devices, and cells, tissues or organs that are distributed or represented for use in certain circumstances (clause 3(6)).
C. Purpose (Clause 4)

Clause 4 replaces sections 3(21) and 4 of the existing Food and Drugs Act. New section 2.3 indicates the purpose of the bill as protecting and promoting public health and safety and encouraging accurate and consistent product representation by prohibiting and regulating certain activities related to food, therapeutic products and cosmetics. The Food and Drugs Act does not currently include a “purpose” section.
D. Prohibitions (Clauses 4–18)
1. New prohibitions

Clause 4 also adds a new “Prohibitions” heading, grouping together prohibitions set out in the existing Food and Drugs Act under that heading as well as adding the following prohibited activities: knowingly providing the Minister with false or misleading information in relation to a matter under the bill (new section 3), tampering with a food, therapeutic product or cosmetic (including tampering with its label or package) to either render it injurious to human health (new subsection 3.1(1)(a)) or to cause a reasonable apprehension that it is injurious to human health (new paragraph 3.1(1)(b)), selling or importing an aforementioned product that was tampered with to render it injurious to human health (new subsection 3.1(2)), or threatening to tamper with such a product (new subsection 3.1.(3)). Clause 4 also prohibits communicating or causing to be communicated information known to be false or “reckless as to its truth” for the purpose of causing a reasonable apprehension that a product has been rendered injurious to human health (new section 3.2).

The existing section 4, which prohibits the sale of food in certain listed circumstances, is amended to also prohibit the importing of food in those same circumstances, and the circumstances that prevent the sale (and now the importing) of food that “consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, disgusting, rotten, decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable substance” is replaced with prohibiting the sale or importing of food that is “injurious to human health” (paragraph 4(c)).
2. The Importing of and Interprovincial Trade in Foods

Clause 6 relates to the importing and interprovincial trade in prescribed foods, and prohibits the importing of or sending to another province a prescribed food without a registration or licence (new subsections 5.1 and 5.2). Ministerial authorization for such registrations and licences are established in the new section 18.2.
3. Therapeutic Products

Clause 8 replaces all of sections 7 to 21 of the existing Act, which currently prohibit the sale and manufacture of drugs (sections 8 to 15), cosmetics (sections 16 to 18) and devices (sections 19 to 21) in specific circumstances. The new sections 8 to 18 relate to therapeutic products; this is indicated by the addition of a new “Therapeutic Products” heading. New sections 18.1 to 20.3 relate to authorizations and licences.

The substance of the majority of the existing provisions relating to the sale and manufacture of drugs, cosmetics and devices is still contained in the new provisions, along with the addition of provisions relating to clinical trials and establishment licences. There are currently no explicit references to either clinical trials or establishment licences in the Food and Drugs Act; they are provided for only in the Food and Drugs Regulations.(22)

These new provisions establish a framework for the licensing and marketing of therapeutic products and, to a lesser extent, food. The framework is similar in many ways to the framework that exists under the Food and Drug Regulations, but also goes beyond that by incorporating a “progressive licencing” framework.

The bill requires persons (defined to include individuals or organizations as defined in section 2 of the Criminal Code) to:

* obtain a clinical trial authorization before conducting clinical trials on therapeutic products that do not have a market authorization (new section 10), and to conduct clinical trials in accordance with the regulations (new section 11). (The procedures relating to obtaining, amending, suspending or revoking clinical trial authorizations are set out in new sections 18.2 to 18.6, and regulations relating to clinical trials can be made under new paragraphs 30(1)(w) to 30(1)(z.1).);
* obtain a market authorization before advertising, selling or importing for sale a therapeutic product (new subsection 12(1)). (The procedures relating to obtaining, amending, suspending and revoking market authorizations are set out in new sections 18.7 to 19.1.); and
* obtain an establishment licence before carrying out a controlled activity (i.e., before manufacturing, collecting, processing, preserving, labelling, packaging, importing for sale, distributing, wholesaling or testing a therapeutic product) (new section 13). (The procedures relating to obtaining, amending, suspending and revoking establishment licences are set out in new sections 19.2 to 19.7.)

It is within the Minister’s discretion to grant a clinical trial authorization, a market authorization, or an establishment licence, and the terms and conditions to which all of these are subject can be established in the regulations (new paragraph 30(1)(s)). In all cases, the issuance of the authorization or licence will be subject to regulations, and the authorization or licence can be suspended or revoked in certain circumstances (and subject to regulations), including immediate suspension where “necessary to respond to a serious and imminent risk of injury” to health (new subsections 18.5(2), 19(2), and 19.6(2)).
E. Powers of the Minister (Clause 8, New Sections 19.8–20.3)

Many of the powers listed in this section reflect a progressive licensing approach. For example, subject to the regulations, the Minister can compel the holder of a clinical trial authorization, market authorization or establishment licence to provide any information within their control that is considered necessary for the administration of the bill (new section 19.. The Minister can also, subject to the regulations, require the holder of a market authorization or establishment licence in order to “compile information, conduct tests or studies or monitor experience” to obtain additional information about a therapeutic product’s effects on health or safety (new paragraph 19.9(a)), or report such information to the Minister (new paragraph 19.9(b)).

Subject to the regulations, the Minister can also require labels of therapeutics to be revised to reflect information necessary to prevent injury to health (new section 20.1), require the holder of a market authorization to conduct a reassessment of a therapeutic product within a specific timeframe (new section 20.2), and publicly disclose information about the risks or benefits associated with a therapeutic product (new section 20.3).
F. General Provisions (Clause 8, new sections 20.4–21.2, and
Clause 11, regulation-making authority)

Included under the “General Provisions” heading is the power of the Minister to compel a person to provide information relating to a food, therapeutic product or cosmetic that may present a serious risk to human health (new section 20.5). Prescribed classes of health care institutions are also required to provide adverse reaction information to the Minister (new section 20.7).

New sections 20.9 to 21.2 permit the Minister to disclose both personal information (new sections 20.9 and 21) and confidential business information (new sections 21.1 and 21.2) in certain circumstances. The circumstances in which business information ceases to be confidential business information, and the business information that is not confidential business information can be specified under the regulations (new paragraph 30(1)(c)). Regulations can also be made “respecting the collection, use or disclosure of personal business information or confidential business information by the Minister, including its disclosure to the public” (new paragraph 30(1)(z.7)).
G. Administration and Enforcement (Clauses 9–10)

The powers of inspectors under the existing Food and Drugs Act are amended in part to reflect changes in technology, e.g., examining documents contained within computers (new paragraph 23(2)(f)) and using copying equipment (new paragraph 23(2)(g)). The amendments also authorize an inspector to enter or pass through or over private property without being liable for doing so in carrying out their functions (new subsection 23(4)). New subsection 23.8(1) provides that if an inspector believes on reasonable grounds that there is a contravention of the Act or the regulations, he or she can direct a person to take a measure that is necessary to identify or respond to a risk of injury to health related to the contravening activity.

Of particular significance are the new sections 23.9 and 24. Section 23.9 authorizes an inspector to direct the person possessing a food, therapeutic product or cosmetic that was imported for sale, or its owner or importer, to remove it from Canada, at that person’s expense, if there are reasonable grounds to believe that it either does not meet the requirements established under the Act or was imported for sale in contravention of a requirement established under the Act. New section 24 authorizes the Minister to direct a recall of a therapeutic product or cosmetic where the Minister is of the opinion that it presents a serious or imminent risk of injury to health (new subsection 24(1)). Regulations can be made requiring persons who sell or import for sale foods, therapeutic products or cosmetics to establish tracing systems to facilitate recalls (new paragraph 30(1)(f)), and new paragraph 30(1)(z.11) allows for other regulations to be made respecting recalls. The Minister can even authorize someone to sell a recalled product (new subsection 24(3)).

In addition to the power to compel a recall, the Minister can also apply to a court of competent jurisdiction for an injunction in certain circumstances (new subsection 24.1(1)).
H. Offences (Clauses 14–16)

The bill substantially increases the penalties for contravening the Act. The penalties for contravening a provision of the Act are increased from a maximum $500 fine and/or three months’ imprisonment (Food and Drugs Act, paragraph 31(a)) to a maximum $250,000 fine and/or six months’ imprisonment for a first summary conviction offence (new paragraph 31(1)(b)), and from a maximum $5,000 fine and/or three years’ imprisonment (Food and Drugs Act, paragraph 31(b)) to a maximum $5,000,000 fine and/or two years’ imprisonment (new paragraph 31(1)(a)) for an indictable offence.

The bill also establishes penalties for wilfully or recklessly contravening the provisions of the Act: in the case of a summary conviction offence, the penalty for a first offence is a maximum $500,000 fine and or a maximum of 18 months’ imprisonment (new paragraph 31(3)(b)). In the case of an indictable offence under this section, the amount of the fine is within the court’s discretion, and the offender can also be sentenced to five years’ imprisonment (new paragraph 31(3)(a)).
I. Transitional Provisions, Consequential Amendments and Coming into Force

Clauses 18 to 28 include a number of complex transitional provisions governing various licensing decisions under the existing legislation and regulations and the timing of the coming into force of the bill. Clauses 29 to 74 contain a series of technical and consequential amendments. Clause 75 provides that, other than two coordinating amendments, the bill is to come into force on a day or days to be fixed by order of the Governor in Council.

I don't want to clog the post up with large amounts of text like the one above (which is fine, but two would be too much), so this is a link to the legal review on the stopc51 page.

http://www.stopc51.com/c51/legal_review.pdf

Worth a read.

I love my herbal mediences! They actually work for some of my problems

The supposedly leftist Labour government here in the UK is considering something similar. i haven't been following the issue closely, but after reading this thread I think it's high time I did!

A lot of people, me included, depend heavily on vitamin and other supplements, or herbal products. They're already regulated, and you can buy standardized preparations in all the leading health stores and pharmacies. However, the government now wants to ban their sale as over-the-counter drugs (OTCs). So, in future, when I need to buy some vit B tablets I'll need a prescription from my GP (general physician). That means I'll have to convince him that I need that particular `medicine' and only then will he allow me to get it.

I think this is ridiculous. Big business is getting away with too much and not many people seem to care. It's a bit like DRM, but worse because this is people's bodies, their lives and health that are involved.