Can We Save Our Natural Remedies – Or Are We Wasting Our Time?
It is a huge win to get Bill 224 past second reading and into Committee. But will it make a difference?
For the first time in a long time it appears that we are making progress in protecting access to our natural remedies. On March 10, Bill 224 passed second reading. Bill 224 moves essential nutrients and natural remedies out of the therapeutic product class of drugs. This therapeutic product class is restrictive, designed to regulate the most dangerous drugs such as Thalidomide and Vioxx.
So it is a huge win to get Bill 224 past second reading and into Committee. But will it make a difference?
After posting on social media about the win with Bill 224, I received the following comment:
Shawn, these developments risk giving the uninformed hope that the country and its parliamentary system is potentially viable/salvageable. They are still poisoning children the instant they are born (childhood vaccine schedule), notwithstanding recent studies and the U.S. RICO case.
I am assuming that the “recent studies” referred to in the question is a reference to the Henry Ford Health study revealed in the documentary An Inconvenient Study. This study concluded that unvaccinated children are healthier than vaccinated children on almost every health measure. The Henry Ford study mirrors the results of Dr. Paul Thomas’ study which also showed unvaccinated children were healthier than vaccinated children.
Are Canadians Being Compelled to Defy the Law?
This question deserves to be answered. If Parliament will not grant us the ability to freely access natural remedies, then are we wasting our time? If Parliament will not listen to us, then is our only option to defy Parliament if we wish to remain healthy (which means defying the law)?
Most of us are already doing this to some extent by purchasing black market products such as Ivermectin and Fenbendazole. There is a resurgence of small producers of natural remedies that are unlicensed. These small producers cannot, or will not, comply with the unreasonable regulatory burden imposed by Parliament. They are playing a game of whack-a-mole with Health Canada. When Health Canada identifies one of them, Health Canada whacks them to take them out. Another then pops up to fulfill the need in Canada for their products. These black market suppliers only exist because Canadians support them.
So can we work with Parliament? That depends on Parliament’s intentions. If you want to know the intention of Parliament, and their enforcement arm Health Canada, look at their actions. Actions speak louder than words. So let’s review Health Canada’s actions.
Health Canada’s History of Bias Against Natural Remedies
In the 1980s and 1990s as natural remedies rose in popularity, Health Canada began attacking them. So many products were being taken away from consumers that we rebelled. Health Minister Allan Rock backed down and asked the Standing Committee on Health to advise the government on how to regulate natural remedies.
In the U.S., Congress had already held hearings on how to regulate natural remedies. They passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, 1994, which classed natural remedies as food. This law also deems natural remedies to be safe.
After extensive hearings, in 1998 the Standing Committee on Health recommended that natural remedies should not be regulated as chemical drugs. They recognized that Canadians wanted increased access to natural remedies.
In 2004, Health Canada imposed the Natural Health Product Regulations. These are chemical drug style regulations. In other words, our Natural Health Products (NHPs) became reclassified as drugs. As a result, it is illegal to sell a NHP without Health Canada’s permission in the form of a license. It is illegal to sell vital nutrients needed to survive without Health Canada’s permission. Vital nutrients and natural remedies are deemed by Canadian law to be unsafe. Therefore safety must be proven.
Canada’s approach is the opposite of the American approach. In the U.S., essential nutrients and natural remedies are deemed by law to be safe. There is no need for government pre-approval.
The strict Canadian Regulations have made NHPs in Canada more expensive than the same products in the U.S. This has made essential nutrients unaffordable for many Canadians.
In the way they apply the Regulations, Health Canada is killing the natural health community with a thousand cuts. Manufacturers are constantly having to deal with ever stricter requirements and bureaucratic harassment.
Recently, Health Canada came out with the Self-Care-Framework to regulate NHPs exactly the same as chemical drugs. When implemented, this will effectively eliminate most of our NHPs.
In my 32 years of dealing with Health Canada, their actions have consistently worked towards limiting our access to NHPs. So we can be confident that Health Canada wants to eliminate NHPs as much as is politically possible. This is why we fight.
As we fight we constantly lose ground. Even our current “win” in getting Bill C-224 into Committee is an attempt to get some ground back.
Back to the question: are we “giving the uninformed hope that the country and its parliamentary system is potentially viable/salvageable?” I am afraid of the answer. I clearly believe that there is an agenda behind Health Canada’s efforts to restrict NHPs as much as is politically possible. Parliament has been unresponsive, and has only paused Health Canada’s agenda when there has been intense political pressure.
Because the access we do have to NHPs saves lives, I will apply pressure for as long as I can to keep as much access as is politically possible. At the same time, we have crossed the line where Canadians should always be well stocked on vital NHPs. We have crossed the line where it is reasonable to assume that we will lose our legal access to NHPs, and will have to rely on black market sources.
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Canada has to get rid of politicians. So does the US. And Europe. In Europe its even worse because the EU is unelected. Not that elections make any difference. The whole system has be done away with. Until that happens there's going to be worse and worse trials ahead. Citizens have to take control of their tax funded government. I inquired about a product from National Nutrition today and the cost was $499. But the tax was $70. and on Dog food its even more shocking. They make SO MUCH money off of us. Why do we allow it ? Off with their Heads !!
I agree with you Shawn & thank you fighting so fiercely, in spite of strong opposition, to save our natural remedies. Thank you again, Shawn.
Shawn is a Canadian hero. No one has worked harder to preserve our health freedom and access to natural health products in Canada.
There are now over a million Canadians diagnosed with MCS/ES . For me at now 86 I was diagnosed in 1974. Most of us cannot tolerate prescribed drugs, or their fillers and additives.
I have depended on many nutritional supplements many years now., Although .I need also one prescription , (requiring safe compounding at over $100, compared to less than $10 regular).
My supplement needs average $400 monthly, all with tax added , most prescribed or advised
by MCS Specialists or my family physician. (together with home disability modifications).
A large portion of Canada’s eight million disabled are below the poverty level, just for food,let alone needed supplements. I recall politicians at various levels ever thus abusing countless.
Thank you Johanna for your kind words. I would encourage everyone to visit nhppa.org and get involved in the three campaigns that we have currently running. 1. Enact the Charter of Health Freedom 2. Notify the Standing Committee on Health that you want Bill C-224 passed without any amendments and 3. Write and Submit a Brief to the Standing Committee on Health that you want Bill C-224 passed without any amendments. All information on the campaigns are easily layed out on our website. Thank you.