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SEPTEMBER 21, 2008
The Latest News
Bill C-51 and C-52 as of September 1
September 2008 Feature #1
by Helke Ferrie
In April, the federal government informed Canadians that they were going to protect the nation's children, and the rest of us, against unimaginable harm and potential fraud, in exchange for the loss of our most basic Constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms. Towards this end Prime Minister Harper introduced legislation that would effectively outlaw natural health products and give the food, drug, and chemical industries license to saturate our food, medicines, air, water, and soil with as much poison as their cost-benefit calculations might suggest are profitably manageable. Unfortunately, this is no exaggeration.
The Harper government's proposed BILLS C-51 (to amend the Food and Drugs Act) and C-52 (to amend the Hazardous Products Act) appear to have been crafted very carefully along the lines of Hitler's prescient observation that people are more likely to believe a Big Lie than little ones. Fortunately, unlike Germany in the 1930's, Canadians have a century and a half of experience with democracy and almost eight hundred years of ancestral memory of Common Law.
For me, as a medical science writer used to analyzing the cognitive dissonance between verifiable scientific facts and government and industry obfuscation of those facts, C-51 and C-52 are so far the lowest of all low points I have encountered.
The Right Honorable Stephen Harper's and the Honourable Tony Clement's treacherous attacks against the public interest challenge even the most cynical. The Acts which they tell us need amending are already very good, and if followed would truly protect the public from harm. However, these Acts have for decades been willfully and consistently disregarded, as former Health Canada scientist Dr. Shiv Chopra describes in his memoirs. The government's assertion that they need "modernizing" is nothing less than a blatant attempt at bringing this fundamentally decent existing legislation in line with the standard criminal routines that brought us all those deadly drugs, contaminated foods, poisoned water and soil, and contaminated air. In other words, the illegal sell-out of the public interest to corporate profits would be made legal if C-51 and C-52 were to become law.
But there is a federal election, proving Tommy Douglas right who long ago taught us that "it is not too late to build a better world."
Following the publication of my book on BILLS C-51 and C-52, I was often asked what caused these two BILLS to be introduced in the first place.
The answer can be found in NAFTA and the exclusive corporate-controlled club called the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). NAFTA is a regular intergovernmental treaty of which 93% of Canadians currently disapprove; it was [forced onto Canadians] by then Prime Minister Mulroney in total disregard of a national referendum opposing the treaty.
The Corporate Agenda Behind C-51 and C-52
Today, the SPP is a private club of CEO's from some of the world's largest corporations, banks, and weapons manufacturers – all dedicated to increasing NAFTA's powers regarding privatization and deregulation. It does so without parliamentary input or public oversight. Both the treaty and the SPP's members require that all regulatory authorities in Canada, the US and Mexico be "harmonized" so that goods and services are streamlined and controlled by the corporations providing them, and profiting from them.
Some 86% of Canadians do not want the SPP, mainly because none of us have any say in its objectives (it is essentially secret). Their annual meetings are hosted by the heads of state of the US, Canada and Mexico. What they report about these meetings on their websites is, of course, only what they are willing to tell us – and that's bad enough to give you sleepless nights.
The SPP and NAFTA require that all independent oversight becomes meaningless and that the citizens of all three countries are transformed from being citizens whose "first responsibility" is "to question authority", as Benjamin Franklin observed, into an obedient herd of dependable and predictable customers. In fact, all forms of true choice and independent accountability constitutes a so-called "trade irritant".
A government department like Health Canada would be a terrible trade irritant if it actually functioned along the lines of true public interest and asked questions, tested drugs in its own laboratories, insisted on complete data (not just what the agriculture and drug industry chooses to disclose), and worked to prevent Mad Cow disease and increasing cancer rates. So, anything the public can get at or question must disappear.
One gets the impression that BILLS C-51 and C-52 were expected to be merely a formality because their implementation was already in full progress before they were introduced in parliament in April.
On June 6, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), was given a report which took two years to prepare; it recommends completely dismantling all government involvement in anything that has to do with science and leaving everything (safety, quality, etc.) up to the corporations themselves.
Similarly, the Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz, drafted a plan to hand over the core functions of all food inspection and safety oversight to the food industry itself, including the end of all testing for Mad Cow disease in beef. Luc Pomerleau was fired by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for releasing this report to the public.
In preparation for the passage of C-51 and C-52 the government also published two appalling documents which masquerade as "consultation exercises". They are the November 2007 Discussion Paper entitled Managing Health Claims for Foods in Canada: Towards a Modernized Framework, and the July 2008 Consultation Draft Guidance Document on Schedule A and Section 3 of the Food and Drugs Act.
The first document completely aligns Canada with the international Codex proposals and provides a systematic blueprint for killing the natural health products industry through a death by many cuts. The second promises that "for the first time health claims may now be made for natural health products" and then proceeds to present guidelines for the required compliance that only the pharmaceutical industry with its synthetic drug products can meet; the proposed "standards" for market authorization are completely incompatible with natural health products. No vitamin, mineral, or herb could survive.
Today, about 90% of all natural products on the market and still available are not licensed and will have to go through this process guaranteed to stop their availability. Right now, more than 55% of all single ingredient market applications have already failed to meet the [pharmaceutical industry's] standards, and Health Canada hasn't even started on the multi-ingredient products.
Australia did all of this successfully, starting in 2003, and actually managed to implement what Canada has in mind right now. Australia's Conservative government shut down Pan Pharmaceuticals when some non-lethal adverse events were reported on a natural health product. (Interestingly, nobody suggested shutting down the whole of Merck when several hundred thousand people died worldwide due to ingestion of Vioxx). But in August, Pan won their court case against the Australian government proving the company was illegally shut down. This case was, incidentally, the pretext used by Codex in an attempt to stop natural health products worldwide (read the whole story in the new edition of my book on C-51 and C-52.)
Politicians Stunned by Monumental Public Opposition
Instead of stocking up with a lifetime's supply of supplements, while they are still available, I suggest we use the political clout we actually have and 'throw these guys out'. However, voting out the Conservatives and thereby [banishing] C-51 and C-52 on the order papers is only the first step we need to take.
After that comes the huge task of cleaning up the regulatory garbage they will have left behind. To my knowledge, the NDP, the Greens, and the Canadian Action Party demand that the SPP be brought under parliamentary scrutiny, that NAFTA be totally renegotiated, that C-51 and C-52 can never be reintroduced, that the current legislation governing foods and drugs be actually followed, that Canadians must retain the right to treat their ailments as they see fit, and that we are entitled to know what we eat.
The wave of protest against C-51 in particular was amazing. Marches, meetings, huge public lecture events took place; tens of thousands of petitions were sent to flabberghasted MPs; entire websites devoted to stopping both Bills sprang up providing first-class information; and I wrote a whole book on both BILLS – a first in Canadian political history, I understand. It sold out in 5 weeks. (Profits are dedicated to continuing legal action against Health Canada.) With the financial help of Toronto's Naka Herbs and Newmarket's Nature's Emporium, a copy was sent to every MP and every Senator with an accompanying letter. (A completely revised, updated, and expanded second edition will be available by the end of September.)
More than 10,000 outraged and deeply troubled citizens sent copies of lawyer Shawn Buckley's legal discussions on those two Bills directly to the Prime Minister's office, thereby causing some thoroughly deserved stress within that office.
Some MPs, like mine, David Tilson, resorted to the lamest of tactics: playing hard to get. MP Tilson cancelled requested appointments from constituency members over and over again, and even took off for a vacation in Europe while Parliament was still in session – anything to avoid talking about C-51! Finally, when cornered he flatly denied and declared as "impossible" the fact that the BILL includes foreign governments and corporations as part of the definition of "government". His embarrassment was acute when shown section Section 30.7 in C-51 which states exactly that.
Health Community Takes Sides on the Controversy
Several more influential groups joined the many organizations and public interest groups that were part of the original uproar: the Chinese medicine community formally protested in July; many First Nation chiefs did the same, as did the Canada Safety Council.
However, the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA)decided to oppose their own membership and was ready to sign a memorandum of agreement with Health Minister Tony Clement to indicate that C-51 would be acceptable provided the Minister made some cosmetic amendments. But the displeasure of the CHFA membership scuttled that love-in and the cards sent to MPs reading "Stop C-51" far outnumbered the cards the CHFA printed reading "Amend C-51". Interestingly, the latter cards provided no clue as to where they came from. The "Stop C-51" card identified authorship, namely the Canadian Natural Health Coalition.
All this public protest obviously required some serious efforts at damage control which the Minister of Health worked on very hard. His efforts included sending an e-mail to Vitality and myself, suggesting an interview to "explain his side of the story". I responded by objecting that C-51 wasn't a story and there were no "sides", only legal facts which required explanation.
Editor Julia Woodford agreed that the Minister was free to write an article answering our questions and it would be published in the next edition of Vitality. Towards that end, I sent him 6 questions on both BILLS – which he never answered.
On the other hand, Alive magazine was much more obliging and provided him with a platform to explain the intent – and avoid the facts altogether – of the government's Food and Consumer Action Plan. When asked the most benign and accommodating questions, the Honourable Tony Clement assured Alive readers that he has the best interest of all Canadians at heart, that C-51 would make availability of natural products easier, and that we will be protected in future from all manner of terrible things – such as the ingestion of toad venom for purposes of obtaining an aphrodisiac – and that we will absolutely not have anything to do with Codex. Apparently, the Honourable Tony Clement never read C-51 and C-52 which he claims to have personally "created" to protect Canadians.
It is very important not to lose sight of the big picture when confronted with such abysmal betrayal. Much like the emotional turmoil endured in a nasty divorce, throwing out one's government must be undertaken with courage, persistence and careful thinking. This is not the end of the world – this is the beginning of a new world we are free to create. Every disaster is an opportunity and every betrayal leads to the discovery of new truth.
So, what can you do?
Effective Strategies for Protest
Order the DVD in which lawyer Shawn Buckley takes you step by step through the verifiable facts and deconstructs the [intent] of the BILLS as only a lawyer knows how to do.
Read my book so you are informed when you attend all-candidates meetings.
Tell your MP you will not vote for him or her unless
C-51 and C-52 are [dropped forever] and the current legislation is followed.
Download the excellent letter provided on the Natural Health Products Protection Association website, headed by Shawn Buckley, which should be sent to your MP, the Minister of Health, and the Prime Minister.
"Be the change you want to see," as Mahatma Gandhi advised, and refuse to let the bastards get you down.
Resources
Shawn Buckley explains C-51 on DVD "Endangered Natural Health Products" published by Health Action Network Society (HANS) order through www.hans.org or www.nhppa.org where you can also access the legal analysis of C-51, C-52, and download the letter of protest against these bills to be sent to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health and your local MP.
S. Chopra, Corrupt to the Core: Memoirs of a Health Canada Whistleblower, Kos Publishing, 2008
H. Ferrie, What Part of No! Don't Understand? Rescuing Food and Medicine from Government Abuse – A Manifesto, completely revised, expanded and updated to September 2008, Kos Publishing, call
519-927-1049 e-mail Helke@sympatico.ca
I thank Raffi Nacachian of NAKA Herbs for informing me of Pan Pharmaceuticals' defeat in court of the Australian government's health products regulatory authority.
Sources
* On the website of the Natural Health Products Protection Association (www.nhppa.org) you will find a new item entitled "BILL C-51 Must be Stopped NOT Amended". Lawyer Shawn Buckley explains in detail why this is so.
* Information on the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), in which we as citizens have no say because its activities are not under parliamentary scrutiny, is available by googling SPP. This brings up first the Government of Canada website devoted to the SPP (www.psp-spp.gc.ca) with its information updated to July 2008. How much at variance the aims of the SPP are with the legislation passed by the Canadian parliament (which at least technically represents the wishes of Canadians) is shown on page 1: the fourth item states that the SPP has developed "a common set of principles to guide their [e.g. Canada's, the US's, and Mexico's) regulatory policies and practices…" The fifth item specifically highlight "regulatory corporation on pesticides … for the approval of new conventional pesticides …[and to] resolve priority trade irritants". Since 2006, Canada has national pesticide legislation designed to get conventional pesticides off the market in accordance with mandatory toxicity tests and reviews of existing literature. Obviously, the SPP takes no notice of national legislation and the preferences for safety of its citizens.
* Wikipedia has an entry under "North American Competitive Council" which is the club of CEOs that runs the SPP.
* The NDP websites have information on why they oppose the SPP and want to bring it under parliamentary scrutiny so Canadians can vote on these issues. The Canadian Action Party, which began in 1997 specifically to oppose NAFTA, provides useful information on the SPP and its role in creating North American Union.
* Council of Canadians devoted the Summer 2008 issue of their Canadian Perspectives to the SPP in which statistics on Canadian opinion polls on the subject are provided.
* The story of the dismantling of all forms of public science, so everything is regulated by the industry itself, was e-mailed across the country by Maude Barlow and the Council of Canadians and came to me through Dr. Shiv Chopra, July 29th, 2008: "Transfer of Federal Labs: A Blueprint for Dismantling Public Science" from the public service union PIPSC. The details about the report, prepared over the past two years, is accessible by googling PIPSC. This report originated in principle with Stephen Harper when he was president of the right-wing National Citizens' Coalition. He advocated that government should be diminished to the point where it "can be drowned in a bathtub." Note: This organization now opposes Harper because of their [absolute] rejection of BILL C-51.
* The story about Canada's Agriculture Minister stopping tests for Mad Cow Disease can be read on Public Values.ca, July 28, 2008
* Health Canada's reports "Draft Guidance Document – Schedule A and Section 3 to the Food and Drugs Act, revising the 2003 guidelines for the pharmaceutical and natural products industry is available on
www.hc-sc.gc.ca. The November 2007 documents "Managing Health Claims for Foods in Canada: Towards a Modernized Framework" is on the Health Canada website. Both consultation documents are now obsolete and we will see what they will implement. Both documents make it impossible for natural health products to survive the regulatory hurdles set for them.
* The statistics about what Canadians think about NAFTA were published by Angus Reid polling on July 22, 2008: www.angus-reid.com (click on PDF version)
* The information on the Australian government having been found guilty of using dirty tricks and breaking the law to shut down the country's biggest natural health product manufacturer was published by Decision News Media SAS, August 18, 2008
* Health Minister Tony Clement losing his temper over the Truehope case and C-51 was reported in the Bracebridge Examiner, July 21, 2008. The interview he requested with Alive was in their September 2008 issue.
"It should be obvious that action without wisdom, without clear awareness of the world as it really is, can never improve anything." ~ Theodore Roszak
"Woe to the man who tries to remain objective and to maintain a wide perspective: every one will label him as an enemy." ~ Paul Tournier
--
Winnipeg Supports the Charter of Health Freedom
Download petitions at www.charterofhealthfreedom.org
Canada needs 3 million signatures to make unprecedented history.
BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE.
GET TALKING. GET WALKING.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2008
Dear Canadians and friends in the United States,
We are forwarding a message sent to us from natural health advocates in the the US:
It is necessary to get the word out on the important subject of IRRADIATION. In case you are unaware, the FDA has announced that beginning late August, spinach and lettuce sold across the United States may now be secretly irradiated before it reaches grocery store shelves. And that is only the beginning. We urge you to please read this article from Natural News. Then, begin to take some action. Do what you feel is the right thing to do, especially, choose your table food carefully. As well, research from where your supplements are derived.
PLEASE forward this along to your friends, family, co-workers, etc. so as to inform them about how important it is to be able to choose how our food is processed. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Additional resources:
Want to join in the discussion and hear what Americans are saying?
WPG STOP BILL C-51
Winnipeg Supports the Charter of Health Freedom
Download a petition at www.charterofhealthfreedom.org
Canada needs 3 million signatures to make unprecedented history!
SEPTEMBER 10, 2008
The Canadian Charter of Health Freedom was launched on Wednesday, September 10th!!!
September 10th, 2008 marked the launching of the Canadian Charter of Health Freedom, a revolutionary document that will set a new order for Health Freedom both in Canada and globally.
Please join the Natural Health Products Protection Association www.NHPPA.org, the Health Action Network Society www.hans.org, the Assembly of First Nations www.afn.ca, the Canadian Natural Health Coalition www.cnhc.ca, True Hope Mental and Physical Wellbeing www.truehope.com, Stop Bill C-51 www.stopbillc51.com, the Toronto School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, www.tstcm.com, Active Citizens of Canada www.calltoaction.activecitizen.ca (Winnipeg) and Sweet Spot Productions www.mysweetspotproductions.com (Winnipeg) and show your support for the Natural Health Community to ensure that we continue to have unhindered access to Natural Health Products.
For more information, please visit www.charterofhealthfreedom.org – the official website.
For more information on the Wpg Stop Bill C-51 movement, please visit www.mysweetspotproductions.com.
Sincerely,
Paulette LaFortune
Sweet Spot Productions
SEPTEMBER 8, 2008
Please watch the Shawn Buckley video Stop Bill C-51 "Too Hard To Swallow" (links below) because the future of your health is being decided upon in the next election depending upon the mandate of each party. Ask all campaigners whether their party will support the Charter of Health Freedom. Make sure that they answer your question.
Get them a copy of the Charter of Health Freedom available at www.charterofhealthfreedom.org on September the 10th.
Please watch:
Your health is presently being hijacked in the pursuit of profits. Make a stand now! Tell all of your local stores, your favorite manufacturers and natural health magazines to get informed and not count on the promises of the government, Health Canada or the Canadian Health Food Association which does not represent the voice of Canadian consumers, nor is it representing the interests of small and medium sized manufacturers and retailers.The CHFA is simply a government funded, trade show organization.
Please watch:
Many Canadians are not aware that currently there are Natural Health Product regulations in place at Health Canada that are already ceasing your health choices. Ask all political candidates to drop the NHP regulations that are treating nature as drugs. Bills such as BILLS C-51 and C-52 will only make matters worse for the natural health industry which includes you.
Please watch if you think your health is more important than... somebody making money off of your illnesses.
Please watch:
The time is running out on your health choices.
Pass this message to as many Canadians as possible.
Let all your fellow friends and neighbours know what the Canadian media is not telling them. Understand that the Canadian media stands to profit if the prohibition on 'direct to consumer' advertising of drugs is lifted in Canada by way of a new Food and Drug Act (BILL C-51). Want more info? Then investigate the legal action that is taking place between Health Canada and CanWest Global.
Now watch a true leader tell us what we need to know:
PART 1: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=piXgLNFrIlQ
PART 2: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=8Frxn2YrmM0
PART 3: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=AIaIDj6XUeE
PART 4A: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=YxL-dDfUk8s
PART 4B: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=f6U-H9Bv7J8
PART 5A: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=FN_GBLWU6JI
PART 5B: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdOvAntEYc
PART 6: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=MIpNn_0Nzpw
PART 7A: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=uy190zUKr0s
PART 7B: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=SewRQkiCjZ0
PART 8: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=BmHKOIGiCNk
PART 9: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=5LsjTM3PsUc
Sincerely,
WPG STOP BILL C-51
SEPTEMBER 7, 2008
September 10, 2008
Be there for Change
The much anticipated launch of the Canadian Charter of Health Freedom.
Keep the right to access safe and effective supplements and food. Protect the right to make personal health decisions. Safeguard your right to choose who and what you use to maintain or regain your health.
It's your body. It's your life. It's your choice.
Be a truly free Canadian today and always. Will you step up for Canada?
One Day. One Nation. One Rally.
These demonstrations must Stop Bill C-51 and Bill
C-52 from becoming law. Join in Canada's Greatest coast to coast grassroots rally in history.
Call and email everyone you know and educate them and be there! September 10, 2008 at 12:00 noon in Winnipeg in front of MP Steven Fletcher's Office, 3111 Portage Avenue. Rain or shine.
Your MP works for you. By gathering at their office we keep the pressure on. We need an activated group of concerned citizens to represent the voice of the Natural Health Community in each riding. Be responsible in your area to lead or join a group. Bring a RED UMBRELLA. It's an international symbol of health freedom.
Petitions Count in Ottawa
On September 10th, 2008 tell your MP to say, "NO to Bill C-51 & YES to the Canadian Charter of Health Freedom." Download the new petition here that will change the course of Canada's Health Care, print it, and bring it to the rally.
Placard suggestions:
- My body. My Choice.
- Zero Tolerance of Health Canada's Lies
- RIP: 20,000 NHP's
- Yes to Charter of Health Freedom
- Bill C-51 is not about safety: It's About Big Pharma & Big Food
Say YES
To The Charter of Health Freedom!
Say NO
To Bill C-51 and C-52!
Educate yourself!
www.stopbillc51.com
www.charterofhealthfreedom.org
AUGUST 29, 2008
Hi there! Just wanted to thank all of the folks that made the HEAD to HEAD Stop Bills C-51/C-52 event at the St. Norbert Arts Centre a success! Judy Wasylycia-Leis' talk was informative and we had an opportunity to ask some very important questions. Chad Cornell moved the crowd to tears and the poets Werner VAN Harder, Tim Jackson and Space Kitty shared their words with us and some very personal experiences. Again thank you!
If you weren't able to make it down to the SNAC event, please make an effort to attend at Mondragon Bookstore and Coffeehouse on Saturday, August 30th at 7:00 pm. Check out the handbill on this page for more information or call Mondragon at 946-5241.
CALL TO ACTION!!! Ken Kornel has been busy putting together a group called Active Citizens of Canada. A website is being developed, so for now, we'll keep using my website as the hub for Stop C-51/C-52 information.
"The purpose of this organization is to Stop Bill C-51 & C-52 from passing into Law and to provide alternative legislation which we, the Citizens of Canada, support."
The emphasis of this organization will be to educate its members as to the implications of Bill C-51 & C-52 and determine the most effective course of action to prevent these bills from becoming Law.
Active Citizens of Canada is open to all individuals and organizations who wish to stop these bills.
An organizational meeting will be held Thursday, September 4th @ 7 pm at 625 Spruce Street in Winnipeg (1 block north of Portage Avenue). For more information call 415-8220.
Sincerely,
Paulette LaFortune
Sweet Spot Productions
AUGUST 25, 2008
Dear Friends of Natural Health in Canada and the United States,
We have received many messages this week about ALIVE Magazine's interview with Health Minister, Tony Clement on BILL C-51 and C-52. Below is an excerpt from a manufacturer of a natural health product:
"I am not at all happy with ALIVE MAGAZINE'S September issue. Featured is an interview with Health Minister Tony Clement on BILL C-51 and BILL C-52. If ALIVE believes Mr. Clement's promises, then they must believe in Santa Claus too. Why do they not present NHPPA Shawn Buckley's opinion in their magazine as well??
What a bias approach to journalism in a magazine who's mission is to educate and promote natural health products and lifestyles to consumers.
Not once does Mr. Clement reference actual sections in the BILLS to provide a thread to his opinion that the BILLS will do no harm to the industry. Considering Health Canada's reputation so far in the treatment of natural health products and their manufacturers, we have no reason to trust that they are going to treat us 'reasonably and responsibly' within the Criminal Code and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Also, under BILL C-52, unwarranted access is permitted in the homes, businesses, bank accounts and other personal property of Canadians. Why does he not mention this? [Read: NHP EDUCATING-BOYCOTT here.]
As you know, Shawn Buckley is a qualified constitutional lawyer and President of the Natural Health Products Protection Association. He is counseling the public about the true implications of BILL C-51. He is not scaremongering. Rather, he is educating Canadians from his undeniably informed position. I have heard of his case victories against Health Canada. He has also reviewed the amendments and continues to be highly skeptical about their outcome. [Read: Draft Amendment BILL C-51 here.]
Shame on you Terry-Lynn Stone!! Former editor of ALIVE, Rhody Lake, would be rolling over in her grave if she witnessed the bias approach that her magazine is taking on BILL C-51"
See the article: www.alive.com/6848a13a2.php
Below, WPG STOP BILL C-51 also disagrees with Tony Clement's spin on BILL C-51 in reference to the ALIVE Government propaganda article:
Tony Clement: "And for the natural health industry to be on the inside, to be part of an advisory body of Health Canada, I thinks it's a great marriage."
WPG STOP BILL C-51: Who 'cherry picks' the advisory board? It has become increasingly obvious to us that the Canadian Health Food Association seems to only represent and protect the voices and future of large manufacturers and retailers in the industry—The CHFA is not safeguarding the small and medium manufacturers and retailers who need their protection the most. These smaller companies who pay in the hundreds of dollars to support the CHFA want to know that their concerns are going to be addressed. Remember, it is the unique, niche NHP company that has always driven innovation in the industry. These companies have indirectly provided market knowledge to the large companies as they work directly with consumers on a daily basis. They have a personal rapport with their own customers.
Tony Clement: "And I believe that my bill, Bill C-51 actually does help get more natural health products on the store shelves"
WPG STOP BILL C-51: How can he prove this statement when Canadians have already lost a substantial amount of products off their shelves? Canadians stand to lose up to 55% of natural health products. They are under serious financial pressure to pay the fees towards product and site licenses under a drug-style model of regulation. Many US manufacturers are not distributing to Canada any longer, because regulations are unnecessarily onerous and too costly. [Read: Extinct Products in Canada here.]
Tony Clement: I think in most cases under this proposed legislation, its all about labeling, labeling, labeling. Tell us what's in the package. Tell us what is in the bottle"
WPG STOP BILL C-51: If you are so worried about labeling Mr. Clement – Tell us why you failed to pass BILL C-517 which would have demanded mandatory labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms within our food chain?? Don't tell us you are worried about our safety!! We don't buy it.
Tony Clement: "Natural Health Products have been in their own category since 2004. We don't want the Codex to be applicable and the natural health products industry doesn't want Codex to be applicable".
WPG STOP BILL C-51: If Minister Clement wants to protect Natural Health Products from Codex then Health Canada must stop treating natural products like drugs under the current regulations of 2004 and under Bill C-51. There is no separate category for NHPs. According to Shawn Buckley, "The Natural Health Products Regulations are drug regulations that treat Natural Health Products as a subset of drugs. Rather than create a third category of Natural Health Products that is separate from 'drugs', the amendments to Bill C-51 entrench Natural Health Products as 'drugs'. Because this is so clear when looking at the definitions and the amended Act, one wonders if the media are misquoting the Government when reporting that there is now a distinct 'third category' separate from drugs. If this is the case, efforts should be made to correct the media so that the Government is not misrepresented."
Alive Magazine's Terry Lynn Stone: Finally, Mr. Clement, I would like you to speak to how you see the consultation process going forward from here. Can you reassure our readers that the natural health products they've come to rely on will be available, and that there won't be massive increases in price because of unreasonable demands from Health Canada for testing or research?
WPG STOP BILL C-51: Tony Clement did not answer the Terry-Lynn's question about the potential increase in prices of natural health products due to the regulations under the new BILL. In Winnipeg at the Public Consultations held by Health Canada on June 13th, it was stated by David Lee and Michael J. Smith of the NHP Directorate, that product prices would face increases at the consumer level due to the new regulations.
ALIVE, just who's side are you on?
Sincerely,
WPG STOP BILL C-51
AUGUST 11, 2008
Member of Parliament, Pat Martin has emailed us at WPG STOP BILL C-51 in order for us to inform you that he is voting against Bill C-51. This is positive news. Click here to see this latest update.
We are also very grateful that Dr.Mercola has set the record straight on Bill C-51 and C-52 is his most recent and thorough posting on the subject:
www.articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/
archive/2008/08/01/special-update-canadian-
bill-still-poses-a-threat-to-
natural-health-consumers.aspx?source=nl
Many thanks to MP Pat Martin, Dr. Mercola and all of you that are making an effort to stand for complete protection of the Natural Health Industry across the continent!
Sincerely,
WPG STOP BILL C-51
JULY 24, 2008
Dear Canadians,
This message was just sent to us by a very upset community member who was concerned about Dr. Mercola's recent posting on his website. We are passing some of this member's concerns on to you.
Here is a comment from a member of the Natural Health Freedoms Action community:
"Dr. Mercola carelessly posted an article on his site from the Vancouver Sun titled Natural Health Advocates Defeat Government Power-Grab! The article is pro Pharma propaganda intended to put vitamin consumers to sleep on the issue of C-51 so that we'll think the battle 'has been won' when in FACT, it has NOT been won.
Dr. Mercola should post a RETRACTION after reading attorney Shawn Buckley's analysis of the AMENDMENTS to C-51 which he will find at www.NHPPA.org. On this same site he should also see Buckley's analysis of C-52 which can be converted into C-51 with one small amendment. Dr. Mercola should take his cues from the Natural Health Products Protection Association, and NOT from the Vancouver Sun, a mainstream paper that is heavily influenced by pharmaceutical advertising dollars." (this might be all someone calling in would have time to say by phone) Somehow, though, we must get the rest of this across to him too:
Dr. Mercola must realize that his error not only threatens consumers in Canada, but also in the USA. If C-51/C-52 are not stopped in Canada, their anti-dietary supplement effects will be felt in the USA via harmonization through the vehicle of the FDA's Trilateral Cooperation Charter with Canada and Mexico. The FDA is creating one harmonized set of Food and Drug regs for all 3 countries as if a North American Union were already in existence. This is the vehicle by which Codex Alimentarius is being ushered into North America. Bill C-51 allows Health Canada to harmonize Canadian regulations to Codex restrictions without any oversight by Parliament.
This is my petition I have been blocked from getting oversight on the Trilateral Cooperation Charter due to the oversight & investigations subcommittee of the House Commerce Committee being awash in Pharma PAC donations. I've made 3 trips to DC for this purpose and it was like running headlong into a brick wall.
We are DEAD unless we can get HELP from people like Mercola to generate more awareness of this situation. [END OF COMMENT]
Can this be possible? How can public oversight be neglected in Parliament?
We would like to demonstrate how Bill C-51 makes foreign treaties the LAW without Parliamentary approval by simply passing a regulation saying that it is now part of our Canadian regulation.
Parliament does not have to vote on regulations. Regulations are not debated in Parliament but only need to be published by the Canada Gazette (owned by Can West Global) twice before they are signed into Law.
Regulations by way of Bill C-51 can be made by a government, that is all. See parts of Bill C-51 below that will make this adoption of treaties legal; this includes treaties that we know nothing about, or that we do not want to adopt.
For example, CODEX ALIMENTARIUS is one that has not been debated but that our Canadian government has adopted without consulting Canadians. Do you know what CODEX is ? See Youtube and other websites as a reference.
Below will explain how regulations are being adopted without our approval:
*See Section 30 (7) in Bill C-51 where a regulation may incorporate by reference documents produced by a person or body other than the Minister of 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
**Now, we would like to add that the following definition of 'government' has been changed to read (in Bill C-51 see definitions on page 6) :
'government' means any of the following or their institutions, as applicable:
a) the federal government
b) a corporation named in Schedule III to 10 of the Financial Administration Act,
c) a provincial government or a public body established under an Act of the legislature of a province,
d) an aboriginal government as defined in subsection 13 (3) of the Access to Information Act,
e) a government of a foreign state or of a subdivision of a foreign state, or
f) an international organization of states
The resistance to Bill C-51 is about more than just the Natural Health Product implications, as we have demonstrated above. How do you feel about the BILLS now?
See YouTube on Lou Dobbs report on CNN:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRn2MHnPyMs
Above is an interesting link recorded on a home video camera, then posted on YouTube. This action demonstrates how little the issue of the Trilateral Cooperation Charter has been covered in the mainstream media.
We have to inform one another from this point on as we cannot rely on the media to be neutral and thorough.
Sincerely,
WPG STOP BILL C-51
ENDANGERED
NATURAL HEALTH PRODUCTS?
Shawn Buckley in Winnipeg
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
6:30 pm
Caboto Centre
1055 Wilkes Avenue
Winnipeg, MB
Concerned citizens of Winnipeg have invited directors of the Natural Health Products Protection Association (NHPPA), Legislative Lawyer Shawn Buckley and Peter Helgason, to our province on Wednesday, July 9th. They will be presenting at the Caboto Centre at 1055 Wilkes Avenue at 6:30 pm.
Shawn Buckley is an expert on the Food and Drug Act and has successfully challenged Health Canada on the side of the Natural Health Products industry.
Courageously, they have become the cornerstone of the Natural Health Products truth movement. They adamantly state that Bill C-51 and the recent amendments are not in the Canadian public's best interest.
The heat is building up on all sides. This week, mainstream media has attempted to discredit the grassroots movement.
Mr. Buckley and Mr. Helgason have continued to make the sacrifices necessary in order to explain the implications of passing Bill C-51 and its amendments. They will also discuss the importance of halting the progression of Bill C-52.
Let's welcome the NHPPA to Winnipeg. Together, we stand as the "grassroots truth movement".
For more info on subjects relating to these Bills:
Please read Dr. Shiv Chopra's book titled, "Corrupt to the Core – Memoirs of a Health Canada Whistleblower".
Dr. Shiv Chopra, Canadian microbiologist and human rights activist, will be one of the featured panelists in Toronto, June 26th, 2008. See www.cnhc.ca for a live broadcast of this event.
The following link is provided by Dr. Mercola.
Within, he advises his international audience about the Canadian Bill C-51:
Vitamin C About To Be Made Illegal In Canada
