 Stop
Bill C-51 -
A Threat to Our Health & Rights as Canadians
By Monica Hirai of Hirai Health Services
In April 8, 2008, the Minister of Health, Tony Clement introduced Bill C-51
into the House of Commons. This Bill proposes unsettling changes to the Food
and Drug Act that endanger our Constitutional Rights to “life, liberty and
security of person.” (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom (1982), Section
7; Canadian Bill of Rights (1960), Section 1(a). Bill C-51 generally allows
Health Canada to remove from the shelves and our homes any natural health
product deemed to be “illegal” by Health Canada. This could mean that many
natural health products (upwards to 75%) that have been sold for decades,
such as vitamin C, would become unavailable. Remaining products would cost
much more (Sections 13 & 18.7). The Bill has already received the first
reading, but after massive opposition from both the public and the industry,
the second reading is finished, but the third is still on the horizon!
The original intent of Bill C-51 was to remove any products that were of
“poor” quality off the shelves. They wanted to get rid of companies making
product in their “garage”, so to speak. However, what was originally
intended has become lost through the application simply because in the Court
of Law it is up to interpretation by lawyers and judges. What I have
discovered is that Bill C-51 has nothing to do with “Codex”, which is a
world organization trying to control certain health products that are a
threat to the drug companies. My understanding is that the Canadian
Government brought in Bill C-51 to prevent Codex from having control over
the legislation here. Now the Bill implies that some natural health products
may be sold “by prescription” only (Section 15.1(4).
Further, if you read through the Bill, there is some very strong language
about going into a premise to confiscate products not declared “legal” by
the government. This becomes a government control issue. Do Canadian
citizens want more government control? What I believe we all want are just
high quality products to purchase which have been tested appropriately for
pollutants of all types, and we want the right to choose (without heavy
government control)...after all, we live in a democracy; the basis of which
is freedom of choice. So Bill C-51 really ruffles our feathers, don’t you
agree?
This freedom of choice issue, in conjunction with what happened with True
Hope, a company who makes “Empower” products for those suffering from mental
illness, is important to consider. For those who are not familiar, the
government had seized product from people who were finding relief from their
mental illness. The company went against the government and continued to
distribute this product. In the end, the court ruled in their favour. They
declared the government in the wrong because they weren’t considering the
health of these Canadians (to view video, visit
www.jameslunneymp.ca/video.htm ). This is cause for alarm because this
happened even without Bill C-51. Now that the second reading on Bill C-51 is
done and the third reading will come later this year or early 2009...what do
we do? The third reading will make it law. Concerned citizens need to take
immediate action!
On a positive note, after consulting with individuals “in-the-know” from a
certain natural health company, I have found out what is happening after the
second reading of this Bill. The “Standing Committee on Natural Health
Products”, consisting of MP’s, will be meeting in the very near future with
natural health companies who have been invited to give their opinion on what
should be amended in the law. Regardless of this, we as individual Canadians
still need to be handwriting letters to our local MP, Health Minister, Tony
Clement and Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. Letters in handwriting stand out
more than emails and typed letters, so take the time to express concerns
relating to the following:
a) You want your freedom of choice protected, which means giving you access
to natural health products.
b) You want less government control over what you have in your house or
business (if you own a natural health store), but you embrace laws to govern
the quality control of products.
c) You want the “police state powers” removed from Bill C-51.
d) You want your MP to vote against Bill C-51 in its present form. The
reason you state in “its present form” is because I believe this Bill will
be passed, but my research indicates as stated earlier that Tony Clement and
the “Standing Committee” are open to input from certain natural health
companies that have a rapport with the government. Let’s get the Bill
amended to protect our natural products by ensuring that companies keep a
high level of quality control while maintaining our “Freedom of Choice” in
health care. I believe that is the best approach.
e) Tell our government that you are “saving health care dollars” because you
are not using the regular medical system as much or at all because you
choose to take care of yourself with natural health care products.
And remember to write your letter with respect, the government is made up of
individuals that are trying to do their job. You may not agree with how they
are going about it, but you still need to respect them so that they will
listen.
For more information on the problems with Bill C-51, visit
www.nhppa.org or
www.stopbillc51.com
and for updates, visit
www.hans.org
To Contact:
Your local MP: visit
www.snipurl.com/localmp
Stephen Harper: House Of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 (no postage
necessary). Phone: (613) 992-4211. Fax: (613) 974-0310. Email:
pm@pm.gc.ca
Tony Clement: Room 278 Confederation Building, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 (no
postage necessary). Phone: (613) 944-7740.
Email:
minister_ministre@hc-sc.gc.ca
To sign a petition, visit
www.thepetitionsite.com/1/billc51
I believe that the government will listen to us, but we all need to write
those handwritten letters! Take the time to do it today!
Monica Hirai is a Herbalist/Holistic Practitioner, owner of Hirai
Health Services. You can reach her at 276.5756 or
monica@hiraihealth.com
www.hiraihealth.com
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