buckee Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 Here’s an eyeful……this can and will affect us all. Spread the word to Stop C-51 and tell your MP’s to kill any other new bills introduced that look similar, i.e. A new Bill C-52 that they try to slide in instead. This is all about Big Pharma taking control who incidentally funds Health Canada along with Monsanto and other special interest groups. We want to keep Our Right to Choose Health Foods, Products and Therapies, not have them taken away from us or be prosecuted for using them. According to Shawn Buckley, LLB, Health Canada has just hired something like 2500 recruits from U of A to be search and seizure officers for when the bill is in place. And that is just one university and source. He also said that someone let him know that while we are fighting this bill, they are already trying to secretly pass a second one, Bill C52 so that it can be passed and no one would know. Learn more at http://www.nhppa.org/ Please Read and Take Action…. **One Written Letter mailed and received = the view of 1000 people. Make yours count for more** Recent Media Stories Global TV; Vancouver Bill C-51 Rally, May 10, 1008 Including interview with HANS Executive Director Lorna Hancock http://canwest.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/can... Bill C-51 Threatens Choices in Healthcare, Say Critics http://www.canada.com/abbotsfordtimes/news/story.htm... Natural Health Products Unfairly Hit, Critics Say http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/arts/story.h... Criticisms of Natural Health Products Bill C-51 Mounts http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/05/09/bill-c51.h... Changes to Food, Drug Laws Greeted with Suspicion http://www.pentictonherald.ca/top_story.php?id=10859... Natural Health Care Industry Rebuked over Claims about New Bill http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/reallife/st... Herbal Remedy Industry Wary of Bill http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?i... 1) Bill C-51 Fact Sheet - Canadian Rights And Freedoms Are At Risk On April 8th, 2008, the Canadian Minister of Health introduced Bill C-51 into the House of Commons. This Bill proposes significant changes to the current Food and Drugs Act that will have wide-ranging negative implications for Canadians. Bill C-51 will: Remove democratic oversight, bypassing elected officials to vote in laws and allow bureaucrats to adopt laws from other countries without our consent. Remove 70% of Natural Health Products from Canadians and many others will be available by prescription only. Restrict research and development of safe natural alternatives in favor of high risk drugs. Punish Canadians with little or no opportunity for protection or recourse for simply speaking about or giving a natural product without the approval of government. More than 70% of people in Canada use a Natural Health Product. The new law goes so far as to warrant action against a person who would give another person an "unapproved" amount of garlic on the recommendation that it would improve that person's health. Proposed New Enforcement Powers: Inspectors will enter private property without a warrant Inspectors will take your property at their discretion Inspectors will dispose of your property at will Inspectors will not reimburse you for your losses " Inspectors will seize your bank accounts " Inspectors will charge owners shipping and storage charges for seized property Inspectors will be empowered to store your property indefinitely Inspectors will levy fines of up to $5,000,000.00 and/or seek 2 years in jail per incident With your assets and money under their control will you be able to defend yourself in Court? Can you trust government with this new law and enforcement power? Would our government really ever turn this law against us? Read the following account. Example: In 2003 Health Canada launched an attack on a group of mentally ill patients and the company who supported them naturally. They seized shipments of a safe natural therapy required by the patients and stormed the support center with 17 armed officers and agents. The company (Truehope) reported that they lost contact with more than 300 of their Canadian participants. The Canadian Mental Health Association told of suicides as a result of government action. Health Canada then charged the not for profit company, burdening them with heavy legal costs. Truehope was found innocent by necessity and instructed by the judge to continue under legal and moral responsibility. Although the agents admitted knowing they were injuring people through their actions, they stated under oath they care only about policy and directive. And what happened to the more than 300 mentally ill Canadians that became unreachable? In the months and years following, reports of hospitalizations and suicides during the seizures have surfaced. No Health Canada agent has ever been charged. " Will this new law be used to abuse and punish special interest groups, minorities, religious groups or others? " Why do bureaucrats want to bypass the Parliament and Senate's approval to create new laws? " Why do bureaucrats want seizure warrants without judge approval ? " With fines being increased a 1000 times, and seizing authority without a warrant, is Bill C-51 meant to bankrupt and silence its target audience? Here's what you can do to protect your rights: Educate Yourself " Go to http://www.stopc51.com/ " Read a legal discussion on Bill C-51 " Read bill C-51 on www.parl.gc.ca Tell others about it " Talk to your local Press " Contact your local MP Click Here " Ask the leaders in your community to get involved " Contact your MLA " Tell your Friends Get involved " Print off this fact sheet and hand it out in your neighborhood. " Send this info to all of your concerned friends, family and community leaders. -------------------------------- 2) Bill C-51 Protest Clips worth seeing - Toronto, Calgary, CODEX Toronto protest http://video.google.ca/videosearch?q=toronto+c-51&sitesearch= Calgary protest http://video.aol.com/video-detail/bill-c-51-rally-calgary-ab-may-9-08-part-1/2258984569 We Become Silent - The Last Days Of Health Freedom (30 Min.) http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=451097355502728465&q=codex&hl=en ------------------------------- 3) Bill C-51 Update & Endangered Natural Health Products? Seminar - Vancouver Bill C-51 passed first reading on April 8, 2008 and - as of May 13, 2008, and contrary to some confusion - has not yet passed second reading. The Bill is still being debated within the House of Commons, as stated in its status report: http://www.parl.gc.ca/LEGISINFO/index.asp?Language=E... Letters to politicians and the media have succeeded in raising public and political awareness about Bill C-51. HANS continues to urge members and consumers of natural health products to raise their concerns about the Bill (see How to Get Involved, below). Responses from MPs have varied from offering assurances about the benefits of the Bill to, conversely, echoing constituent concerns. Accordingly, we are including (below) valuable links for more in-depth information and discussion points on Bill C-51 that should be raised with politicians and all concerned parties. In addition, HANS encourages everyone to attend our June 2, 2008 public event, "Endangered Natural Health Products?" with keynote speaker Shawn Buckley, LLB. Buckley is a lawyer whose expertise in natural health product regulations has been gleaned from a decade of representing manufacturers in court against Health Canada. This is a unique opportunity to hear the legal perspective of an in-the-trenches expert and to find out firsthand, the implications of Bill C-51 and natural health product regulations in general. When: Monday June 2, 2008 7-9 pm Where: St Andrew's - Wesley Church, 1022 Nelson Street, Vancouver, BC FREE to HANS pre-registered Members; $5 at the door for non-members. Register at www.hans.org or call 604-435-0512 In the meantime, here are a few specific points of discussion about Bill C-51: The Bill would redefine natural health products, cosmetics, medical devices and cells, tissues and organs as "therapeutic products". HANS is concerned that this definition ignores the fundamental differences between NHPs and drugs, including the historical efficacy and relatively low safety risks of NHPs. The Bill would bestow greater powers on Health Canada and federal inspectors to enforce regulations and demand industry compliance. HANS is concerned that, given our ongoing tumultuous NHP regulations (see backgrounder below) and the fact that a significant percent of products technically have and will become illegal as a result of our existing regulations, the Bill will encourage unnecessary enforcement and reduce product availability. Bill C-51 would allow Health Canada to implement regulations and standards set by (non-Canadian) bodies, agencies, organizations, industrial or trade organizations and governments. HANS is concerned that this opens the door to restrictive standards and guidelines such as CODEX Alimentarius Commission, which may limit nutritional supplement dosages and detrimentally affect purchasing patterns of consumers. HANS is equally concerned that, under the guise of strategic harmonization, international agendas related to functional foods and natural health products could be imposed on Canadians without necessary public scrutiny and input. Regulations Background Information In the late 1990s, the 53 recommendations put forward by then federal Minister of Health Allan Rock and the Standing Committee on Health were intended to ensure natural health products (NHPs) were regulated in a way that recognized their uniqueness from pharmaceutical drugs; a third category for NHPs was proposed - and promised - at that time. Instead, NHPs have been regulated as a subsection within the drug category. Although they have been given a Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD), they still fall within a pharmaceutical-type framework that has created considerable strain on manufacturers and distributors, and has resulted in serious delays and the rejection of more than 60 percent of produce licenses for NHPs (as noted on the NHPD website). It's estimated that as high as 75 percent of licenses for NHPs will be rejected, after which time it's unclear how many will be submitted for reapplication. Products sold without a license are, in effect, illegal. Products are supposed to be voluntarily removed, or subject to Health Canada enforcement. It is into this existing regulatory reality that Bill C-51 has been injected. HANS is of the opinion that Bill C-51's implications towards the natural health products industry and Canadians who use natural health products (NHPs) should be deeply considered if the Bill is allowed to progress in the legislative process. How to Get Involved 1) Contact your Member of Parliament ASAP. Inform him/her that: - you are opposed to Bill C-51 due to its implications for the natural health products industry; - you want him/her to vote against Bill C-51; - you want your access to natural health products protected. To find out who your MP is, search by postal code at: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOf... 2) Send a copy of your e-mail to [email protected]. (We are encouraging e-mails due to time constraints BUT a handwritten, hand-signed letter as per #9 is equally if not more important.) 3) Support HANS by joining as a member for $35 a year. Memberships and donations are the primary source of funding that enables us to do this work. Sign up online at www.hans.org. Or, make a tax-deductible donation to HANS; every bit of support helps. 4) Forward this e-mail to everybody you know and request that they do the same. 5) Sign up for the HANS e-News, a free service via www.hans.org, in which we will be including Bill C-51 updates. 6) Phone your MP and the Prime Minister's Office to voice your concerns. Dial toll-free 1-866-599-4999 and ask to be transferred to any MPs office. The hours of this service are: Monday - Thursday, 8:30 - 6:00 pm Eastern standard time Friday only, 8:30 - 5:00 pm Eastern Standard time Stephen Harper's phone numbers are (613) 992-4211 and (403) 253-7990. Tony Clement's phone numbers are (613) 944-7740 and (705) 746-9053. 7) Introduce this issue to your local media. (see some media coverage links below) 8) On June 2, 2008, attend the "Endangered Natural Health Products" public event in Vancouver, co-hosted by HANS and Common Ground Magazine Speaker: Shawn Buckley, LLB and president of the Natural Health Products Protection Association When: Monday June 2, 2008 7-9 pm Where: St Andrew's - Wesley Church, 1022 Nelson Street, Vancouver FREE to HANS pre-registered Members, $5 at the door for non-registered Members and HANS Non-members. Register at www.hans.org or call 604-435-0512 9) Also write a handwritten letter to: - your local MP; - Prime Minister Stephen Harper; - Tony Clement, Minister of Health. You can send your letters without postage to: (Name of person) House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 10) Get more information Read Bill C-51: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication... Read a Draft Discussion Paper on Bill C-51 by Shawn Buckley, lawyer and president of the Natural Health Products Protection Association: http://www.nhppa.org/ Read the Canadian Health Food Association's Backgrounder and Facts on Bill C-51: http://www.chfa.ca/media/pdf_files/what%20is%20bill%... AND http://www.chfa.ca/media/pdf_files/backgrounder%20on... Read the Canadian Health Food Association's Media Release Calling for an amendment to Bill C-51. http://www.chfa.ca/media/pdf_files/natural%20health%... Read Bill C-51 April 30, 2008 House of Commons Debate transcript (Use Next Feature on site to follow the debate as the days pass): http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication... Or, Search Debate Transcript for Bill C-51 Here: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/housechamberbusiness/ChamberP... 50 international scientists, physicians and associated health practitioners are calling upon Canada's Health Minister to reconsider its plan to amend the Food and Drugs Act (Bill C-51). http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2008/0... Watch this video: http://www.jameslunneymp.ca/video.htm Founded in 1984, Health Action Network Society is a membership-based, non-profit charitable organization dedicated to gathering and disseminating health promotion information. Endangered Natural Health Products? Seminar with Shawn Buckley, LLB St. Andrews Wesley Church - 1022 Nelson St, Vancouver Monday, June 2nd, 2008 - 7-9pm Inc. International - http://friendsoffreedom.org/intl/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sureshot Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 I have been hearing about this, a talk show was saying that garlic may be illegal to grow in the garden, thanks for the heads up Steve! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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