Doug’s Dynamic Drivel

Bill C-51 would amend key terminology in the Food and Drugs Act to impose a licensing requirement on natural health products, drastically restricting their legality and availability.

“Bill C-51 radically alters the Food and Drugs Act in ways that would allow government to, including herbs, vitamins and even foods like blueberries,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “Many Canadians are shunning pharmaceuticals in favour of effective natural health foods and products, but Mr. Harper seems bent on helping the pharmaceutical industry stifle competition from natural products.”

Ms. May said that the Bill expands the federal government’s power to reject natural products, imposes extreme fines on those who violate the proposed new rules and criminalizes natural health practitioners by providing Health Canada with alarming enforcement powers. She added that limiting natural products may force Canadians to turn to pharmaceuticals instead.

“The text of Bill C-51 is rife with Orwellian doublespeak. It is worded to confuse and is promoted by the Conservatives as legislation designed to protect Canadians’ health. But clearly, Prime Minister Stephen Harper cares only about protecting profits for Big Pharma.”

Green Party acting Health Promotion critic Jake Cole added that the Bill would prevent parliamentary scrutiny before synchronizing Canadian Food and Drug laws with those of foreign countries. The government could simply introduce new regulations without proposing legislation and seeking parliamentary approval.

Here’s more

Bill C-51 will:

• Remove democratic oversight, bypassing elected officials to vote in laws and allow bureaucrats to adopt laws from other countries without our consent.
• Remove 70% of Natural Health Products from Canadians and many others will be available by prescription only.
• Restrict research and development of safe natural alternatives in favor of high risk drugs.
• Punish Canadians with little or no opportunity for protection or recourse for simply speaking about or giving a natural product without the approval of government. More than 70% of people in Canada use a Natural Health Product. The new law goes so far as to warrant action against a person who would give another person an “unapproved” amount of garlic on the recommendation that it would improve that person’s health.

Proposed New Enforcement Powers:

• Inspectors will enter private property without a warrant
• Inspectors will take your property at their discretion
• Inspectors will dispose of your property at will
• Inspectors will not reimburse you for your losses
• Inspectors will seize your bank accounts
• Inspectors will charge owners shipping and storage charges for seized property
• Inspectors will be empowered to store your property indefinitely
• Inspectors will levy fines of up to $5,000,000.00 and/or seek 2 years in jail per incident

Now I certainly don’t have a problem with governments cracking down on , there are far too many gullible, and in many cases desperate, people out there that will fall for snake oil every time. This will certainly put a crimp in the style, not to mention bank accounts, of all those , and rightly so. However, the beneficial medical properties of a great many foodstuffs, garlic, wine, chocolate, coffee, and a multitude of herbs are very well documented and the government has no business getting involved here. This is an obvious ploy on Harper’s part to reward his.This is Canada Stephen not the US.

Once this passes only large corporations will have the financial resources to get their products past inspection and certified. Naturopaths and Homeopaths will be put out of business instantly (good riddance), but so will herbalists and your local