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441-01849 (Health)

Paper petition

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

WHEREAS:

Health Canada is proposing to significantly change natural health product (NHPS) regulations;

NHPs include basic everyday products such as supplements, toothpaste, vitamins, probiotics, and mineral SPF, and are used daily by Canadians as part of their proactive healthcare;

The changes will cause consumer prices to rise significantly, and consumer choice to decline drastically, when inflation is at an all-time high and access to healthcare is at an all-time low;

Health Canada recently proposed new and significant fees to import, manufacture, and sell NHPS at the same time they are implementing new labelling laws; and

This will force many small to medium-sized businesses to shut down Canadian operations and provide less NHP options for Canadians;

THEREFORE:

We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Minister of Health to work with the industry to on modernizing labelling and adjusting Health Canada's proposed cost recovery rates to accurately reflect the size and scope of the industry; and that new regulatory changes should only be considered once the Self-Care Framework is adjusted and backlogs are cleared, operations are running efficiently, and there are policies and procedures in place to ensure stable operations and selection of natural health product choices continue for Canadians.

Response by the Minister of Health

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable Minister Mark Holland

Health Canada recognizes that natural health products (NHPs) are important to Canadians to help support and maintain their health and is committed to supporting access to natural health products that are safe and of high quality.

While NHPs are generally lower risk products, that does not mean they are without risk, especially if products are contaminated, or used improperly.

In 2021, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development completed an audit of Health Canada’s NHP program and found both strengths and areas for improvement. Health Canada committed to undertaking a number of initiatives to improve the oversight of these products.

In an effort to make natural health products safer for consumers and support Canadians in making informed choices, Health Canada recently introduced two important regulatory and legislative changes:

  • In July 2022, after extensive consultation and feedback from stakeholders, Health Canada introduced new regulatory requirements to make natural health product labels easier for Canadians to read and understand. This includes, for example, increased font size and improved colour contrast.
  • In June 2023, Parliament passed legislation enabling Health Canada to take more action if a serious risk to health is identified with a natural health product. This legislation allows Health Canada to order recalls or add warnings to labels, if necessary, which the Department could not do before.

Presently, NHPs are the only line of health products where the regulatory activities are fully funded by Canadian taxpayers.

Health Canada knows that many NHP companies are small businesses and is committed to supporting them. The Department is considering measures to help alleviate the impact of fees on businesses.  This includes fee reductions of 25% to 50% and a full waiver of pre-market evaluation fees for small businesses marketing their first product.

Health Canada is actively reviewing thousands of comments received on its fee proposal, including those relating to the proposed fee reductions for small businesses, as part of an open and transparent consultation process with Canadians and businesses. At this time,  Health Canada is considering how best to adjust the  proposed approach to address concerns raised prior to further engagement with stakeholders.

Ultimately, this initiative is about ensuring Canadians have access to natural health products that are safe, effective and of high quality, while supporting small businesses through this process.

Presented to the House of Commons
Ziad Aboultaif (Edmonton Manning)
October 27, 2023 (Petition No. 441-01849)
Government response tabled
December 11, 2023
Photo - Ziad Aboultaif
Edmonton Manning
Conservative Caucus
Alberta

Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.