ENDANGERED: Your Access to Natural Health Products in Canada

Many of your favourite herbal medicines, probiotics, nutrients, and other natural health products are about to go missing. The remedies you rely upon to alleviate anxiety, boost energy, improve sleep, soothe pain, and heal digestive issues are currently endangered species in Canada and could soon go extinct.

Natural health product manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and health practitioners like herbalists, homeopaths, naturopathic doctors, and nutritionists are also at risk. It sounds impossible but it’s shockingly TRUE.

How Could This Happen in Canada?

Health Canada is currently implementing its so-called “Self-care Framework.” It sounds like a spa treatment but don’t be fooled: It’s anything but good for your health and it is going to hurt. This erroneously-named initiative aims to “harmonize” the regulation of natural health products with that of pharmaceutical drugs.

Yet natural health products are nothing like synthetic pharmaceutical drugs. Natural health products have a thousand-year history of safe and therapeutic use with lists of scientifically-proven benefits and minimum safety risk. On the other hand, most pharmaceutical drugs have pages-long lists of side effects that often include the risk of death.

Buried in the June 2023 Budget Bill, the federal government redefined “therapeutic products” to include natural health products, giving Health Canada sweeping powers to regulate them in the same way as pharmaceutical drugs. With pharmaceutical-style regulations now applying to the natural health product industry, it means that health food stores, natural health product manufacturers, and even holistic health practitioners will be subject to many new fees, fines, and unchecked government interference.

The Bill that imposed the above is called The Budget Implementation Act, No. 1 (formerly known as Bill C-47); specifically sections 500-504. The opportunity to oppose the Bill is in the form of a Private Member’s Bill C-368 which recently overcame potentially catastrophic amendments and passed the Committee Stage. Bill C-368 has been referred back to the House of Commons where it will move through the Report Stage and Third Reading in advance of another vote. Only a handful of Private Member’s Bills in 100 years have succeeded in getting to the stage we are at – it is a testament to the remarkable engagement of the Canadian public on the issue of protecting their access to natural health products. Bill C-368 still needs your support. nhppa.org/bill-c368.

Natural health businesses now face fines of up to $5 million per day – penalties that are financially devastating and unsustainable. For instance, if a retailer suggests a use for a product that goes beyond Health Canada’s approved label claims, they risk incurring these severe fines. Take magnesium as an example: the Health Canada-approved label might state, “a factor in the maintenance of good health.” If a retailer advises that magnesium could also help prevent migraines – an unapproved claim – they could be subjected to these penalties.

What Health Canada’s Plan Means for Canadians:

• You’ll lose many natural products that you rely on to manage your health.
• Prices of the remaining products will continue to ????
• Your hoistic health practitioners may be forced out of practice, as they will no longer have access to the natural health products that are essential tools in supporting their clients and patients.
• Many retailers, manufacturers, and natural health practitioners will lose their livelihoods or jobs.
• There will be additional strain on the medical system.

5 Easy Ways You Can Make a Difference

The Natural Health Product Protection Association (NHPPA) is a Canadian federally-incorporated not-for-profit organization that has been advocating for the protection of natural health products and dietary supplements since 2008. We’ve been working hard for over 15 years with many wins but we need your help to avoid the devastating trajectory described above.

Please help to prevent natural health products from going extinct. It takes only a few minutes to make a huge difference:

• Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter so you don’t miss any critical updates. https://nhppa.org/subscribe
• Donate to help us help you protect your access to natural health products. https://nhppa.org/donate
• Follow us on social media and share our posts with everyone you know. https://www.nhppa.org/socials
• Sign the Charter of Health Freedom which is the solution to protect your access to natural health products, permanently https://www.charterofhealthfreedom.org
• Engage with your federal MP today by sending them an electronic letter opposing the Self-care Framework (don’t worry, we’ve written the letter for you, and it takes less than one minute to submit). https://nhppa.org/bill-C368/#send