Conservatives Pushing for Relaxation of Regulations on Natural Health Products

A Conservative MP is pushing for Parliament to reverse the changes made by the Liberals last year that brought natural health products under the same regulations as pharmaceuticals.

The new regulations allow Health Canada to require stores to remove products like supplements and homeopathic medicines from shelves if they pose a health risk, and impose larger fines on companies that do not comply with the rules.

Alberta Conservative MP Blaine Calkins is introducing a private member’s bill to completely undo the changes, which is currently being reviewed by the House of Commons health committee.

He argues that the changes were not adequately scrutinized when they were enacted because they were included in a large budget bill by the Liberals, and believes they raise costs for consumers and hinder innovation.

Calkins’ bill passed the second reading with support from both the NDP and the Bloc Québécois.

However, Health Minister Mark Holland criticized the bill, saying that reversing the changes would endanger the health of Canadian consumers.

“We have a duty of care, a duty of care that anything that is ingested or used by Canadians, that we ensure that it’s safe and that it’s not going to make them sick,” said Holland on Oct. 29. “This bill would jeopardize that.”

Calkins mentioned in a recent interview that nobody debated these specific clauses in the budget bill, calling it “underhanded” and “sneaky” for the government to introduce the changes in a budget bill.

“The industry wasn’t even aware of the changes until after the bill had already passed and moved through the Senate,” he added.

He suggested that if the Liberals identified issues, they should have consulted with the industry before making any changes.

NDP House leader Peter Julian expressed his party’s disapproval of the government altering laws through an omnibus bill. His spokesperson mentioned that the NDP is still examining the issue and may propose modifications to Calkins’ bill during the committee review.