May 6, 2008
About Bills C-36, C-6, C-51 & C-52 & Schedule F & The Natural Health Product Regulations > Help Stop the NHP Regulations, Bill C-6, etc.
Attention News/Health Editors:
Re: Proposed amendment to the Food and Drugs Act 50 international scientists, physicians and associated health
practitioners are calling upon Canada's Health Minister to reconsider its
plan to amend the Food and Drugs Act (Bill C-51).
TORONTO, May 5 /CNW/ - For several years now there has been an effort on
the part of the WHO and the WTO to bring in a common international standard
for health products. In 2009 signatory states, like Canada, are obliged to
adopt standards and guidelines that were laid down by the Codex Alimentarius
Commission.
Sections of Bill C-51 (section 30, paragraphs 7 - 9)(*) will enable Health
Canada to implement the Codex within Canada without adequate public
consultation. The amendments could restrict the level of dosage available in
nutritional supplements to questionable low levels. Dosages above a certain as
yet unknown threshold could require a prescription from a physician. Of
course, this could result in a diminution of choices available to Canadians as
compared to today.
Under the guise of protecting the public's safety, the proposed bill
could allow for the introduction of restrictive regulations that would likely
fall below "the radar" of sufficient public scrutiny. One such is bringing
nutritional products and pharmaceutical drugs together under a common
regulatory term "therapeutic products".
"In other words: If it isn't a food, it is a therapeutic product and will
be treated like a drug," said UK physician Damien Downing, the medical
director of the Alliance for Natural Health in the European Union.
(*) (7) A regulation may incorporate by reference documents produced by a
person or body - other than the Minister or the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency - including
(a) an organization established for the purpose of writing standards,
including an organization accredited by the Standards Council of Canada;
(b) an industrial or trade organization; or
(c) a government.
(8) A regulation may incorporate by reference documents that the Minister
reproduces or translates from documents produced by a person or body
other than the Minister or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
(a) with any adaptations of form or reference that would facilitate their
incorporation into the regulation; or
(b) in a form that sets out only the parts of them that apply for the
purposes of the regulation.
(9) A regulation may incorporate by reference documents that the Minister
or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency produces jointly with another
government for the purpose of harmonizing the regulation with other laws.
For further information: Steven Carter, phone: (416) 733-2117,
centre@orthomed.org
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR ORTHOMOLECULAR MEDICINE -
--
Croft Woodruff PhD MH
Council member of Friends of Freedom International & the Canadian Coalition for Health Freedom
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