It says significant new fees and regulations will drive many NHP businesses and practitioners out of business, prices will increase, “censorship” of NHP health information will occur, and Health Canada will have “dramatic” new powers over the industry including the ability to impose hefty fines.
The paper says more self-care framework changes will soon be implemented. Traditional use evidence will no longer be adequate to support efficacy and safety claims, and clinical studies will be required. The ability to compound ingredients in a single package is also in jeopardy.
And the changes would restrict NHP health claims to minor conditions, where someone wouldn’t need to seek advice from a licensed health-care practitioner, such as a naturopathic doctor or nutritionist, thus further reducing the number of products available.
Battle With Industry
In an interview with The Epoch Times, NHPPA president Shawn Buckley said the NHP industry has been in a continual battle with the government for decades.‘Mom and Pop Industry’
Buckley, who formerly did legal work for Health Canada, said the agency’s model appears to be one where it ensures "we’re all funnelled into the chemical drug model.”He believes an expensive and rigorous burden of proof is appropriate for prospective drugs, but neither the need nor the economics makes it appropriate for NHPs.
“Drug companies pay for site licensing, fees and product placement, yearly fees for the rights to sell their products, and the natural health product industry has never been subjected to those,” he said.
“It’s more of a mom and pop industry. A medium-sized manufacturer, they manufacture and they package and label and distribute, and now you’re asking them to pay $60,000 a year for that privilege that they never paid before.”
Buckley says those fees will simply go into Health Canada’s pocket as “cost recovery” for the “enforcement arm” of the strict regulations they’ve just created.
“Most of the natural products industry is still relatively small and they just simply won’t survive. And then [the government] is going to limit the types of uses to literally over-the-counter uses,” he says.
Health Canada: ‘Modernized Approach’
In response to a query from The Epoch Times, Health Canada said by email that it is “modernizing its oversight” of the NHP industry.“While natural health products (NHPs) are considered lower-risk health products, it does not mean they are without risk,” the department said. “Health Canada has seen evidence of industry non-compliance with the Natural Health Products Regulations, resulting in health and safety risks to Canadians. Examples include product contamination due to non-adherence with Good Manufacturing Practices and the presence of ingredients not listed on labels.”
The department said its efforts align with recommendations made in an audit of the NHP program in April 2021 by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, “highlighting the need for a modernized approach.”
Pushback
The NHPPA previously held a postcard campaign to call on MPs to amend the Budget Implementation Act to exclude the NHPs regulatory changes. That has now changed to calling for the concerning sections to be repealed. The organization also wants the self-care framework stopped and a charter of health freedom enacted for Canadians.Lana Van Dijk, owner of Body Fuel Organics in Regina, told The Epoch Times she is deeply concerned about the impact the regulations will have on the NHP industry. She said her industry was not consulted, and some in it remain unaware of the threat the changes represent.
“They’ve now revised the definition of ‘therapeutic products’ to include natural health supplements. There was no debate; there was no option for debate,” she said.
“It has blindsided the industry.”