If you have been following the past incarnations of Bill C-36 you know what I’m talking about. Bill C-51 and C-52 contained language and provisions that were very disturbing and allowed for actions to be taken against individuals without legal recourse and without regard to “the rule of law”.

The Stop Bill C-51 movement received mainstream media attention and demonstrated to the Conservative Government that a significant number of Canadians are not in favour of this type of draconian legislation in Canada.

Constitutional lawyer Shawn Buckley has authored discussion papers on Bill C-51, C-52 and Bill C-6 which can be found at the Natural Health Product Protection Association’s website. Shawn Buckley is currently reviewing the newly tabled Bill C-36 and will present his analysis soon.

So far we have been lucky. Bill C51 and C52 were killed when the election was called. Bill C6 was stopped by the Senate and sent back to the House of Commons for amendment. Thanks to the hard work of Canadian Health Freedom Fighters and others who value freedom of choice and individual rights, the Senate heard loud and clear that this type of legislation is unacceptable. It also helped that we had a Liberal Senate while Bill C6 was under review in the Senate. This is not the case now that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has stacked the Senate by appointing more Conservative Senators. With a Conservative Majority it will be very difficult to fight Bill C36 in the Senate. The battle will have to be won in the House of Commons.

Click here to read Bill C-36

We should learn from the Fight the HST Campaign which is a very well organized and effective campaign to stop the HST in British Columbia. Bill C-36 can be defeated if enough people let the government know that they don’t support this type of regulation.

The Natural Health Products Protection Association are not merely fighting against these regulations they are promoting a better alternative. One which is balanced and respects the rights of individual freedom of choice. One which recognizes the need for effective regulation but does so within the rule of law. The Charter of Health Freedom is the legislation that will protect consumers and individual freedom of choice in health care.

The proposed Charter of Health Freedom was announced on September 10th, 2008. This legislation will allow natural health and alternative medicine to have it’s rightful place in Canada and allow Canadians to have freedom of Choice in Health Care.

The Natural Health Products Protection Association (NHPPA) announced that as of Friday, July 24th, 2009 they have 32 155 petition signatures. This number needs to increase dramatically. The natural health community needs to stand up and be heard. Anybody who has used and benefited from natural health products and / or alternative medicine encourage everyone in their circle of influence to sign the petition.

To sign the petition follow this link:

The Charter of Health Freedom Petition

Download the petition and send the original copy to the NHPPA.

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Together I believe we can make a difference…. What do you think?

Bill C-51

Bill C51 (Click Here to read the entire bill)
NHPPA Draft Discussion paper on Bill C-51 (prepared by constitutional lawyer, Shawn Buckley)

Bill C51 (Click Here to read the NHPPA Discussion Paper by Shawn Buckley)

The bill had the following implications:

Bill C-51 had a sister Bill… Bill C-52 which was an amendment to the Consumer Protection Act. This bill had the same draconian measures as bill C-51.

Bill C-52:

Bill C52 (Click Here to read the entire Bill)

NHPPA Draft discussion paper on Bill C-52

Bill C52 (Click Here to read the NHPPA Discussion Paper by Shawn Buckley)

Summary of Bill C-52

• Abolishes the law of trespass allowing the State access onto private property without legal recourse
• Allows seizure of property without a court order, without reporting seizure to a court, for unlimited period of time
• Allows state control over the movement of private property without a court order and without a safety concern
• Search and seizure powers in Bill C-52 are probably in violation of section 8 of the charter of rights and freedoms to be free from unreasonable search and seizure

Fortunately, the Bills died when parliment was dissolved for the Federal Election.

Now, Bill C-52′s replacement is Bill C-6 (which passed third reading in the House of Commons on June 12th, 2009) has similar problems.

Bill C-6

Bill C6 (Click Here to read Bill C-6)

NHPPA Draft Discussion Paper on Bill C-6

Bill C6 (Click Here to read the NHPPA Draft Discussion Paper on Bill C-6)

Bill C-6 has many of the same provisions that made C-51 and C-52 dangerous.

• Bill C-6 can be easily amended to include Natural Health Products without parliamentary approval
• Bill C-6 abolishes the law of trespass
• Bill C-6 gives inspectors unprecedented power

• Please read the NHPPA discussion paper to learn more about the dangers of Bill C-6.

Shawn Buckley, president of the Natural Health Products Protection Association, talks about how Bill C-6 and similar legislation is restricting our freedoms:

The solution is to restore balance to health care in Canada. Allow Canadians to have freedom of choice in how they treat illness in their own bodies.




Support the Charter of Health Freedom

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