The recent article “Firms Back Campaign Against Health Bill” by Tom Blackwell, inaccurately states that the nationwide backlash against Bill C51 was NOT a grassroots movement but instead was merely a few firms who have a grudge against Health Canada promoting misinformation. The information on the NHPPA and the StopC51 website is accurate and the concerns are real. Obviously Natural Health Product Firms would back a campaign against an assault on their industry. But this article does not address the very real value that Canadians place on access to affordable, safe and effective natural health products. In order to ensure an innovative and competitive industry we must NOT over regulate and cause monopolization of the industry by a few large firms. In Australia the industry went from 100′s of manufacturers to only four in ten years after Bill C51 style regs were introduced in their country.

It only makes sense that the stakeholders (the people with the most to lose) will act first to get the word out about a threat to their industry. This is what happened with Bill C51. This Bill (as it was written originally) was a huge threat to the Natural Health Products Industry and even after the proposed amendments is still a dangerous bill for a number of reasons. Everyone that I personally talk to about Bill C51 is very alarmed by the potential affect it will have on access to natural health products. There was almost 40 000 people in the Stop C51 Facebook group, MP’s and the Minister of Healths Office was inundated with letters and phone calls from concerned citizens. Our radio show, Health Empowerment with Croft Woodruff has received a large amount of feedback from listeners about Bill C51 and the message is clear. People do not want their foods, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fatty acids treated like drugs. These products are safe and effective.

In the 90′s a similar move by the government against the industry resulted in the single largest petition in Canadian history. Canadians clearly put a high value on their freedom to choose to take control of their own health. More than 70% of Canadians use natural health products. So to say that the mobilization of people against a serious threat to an industry (that is recognized as safe) is the result of few corporations own self interest is absurd. And it belittles the actions and wishes of the majority of the Canadian people.

Andrew McGivern