By Larke Newell

Mark Holland, Canada’s Minister of Health, recently announced his intention to remove nicotine patches from public use without a prescription and eventually phase them out altogether.

Ironically, cigarettes and other smoking/vaping products are readily available in supermarkets, convenience stores, service stations, and other outlets.  This begs the question: Why is he planning to disallow the product used to aid in overcoming nicotine addiction? Where is the logic? In my opinion, this is simply one more example of baseless and arrogant government overreach concerning his government’s war on natural health products and services. Or could there be a more sinister motive? It has recently been proven by Dr. Bryan Ardis et al. that the antidote for Covid-19 is none other than nicotine. Dr. Ardis covers this in his book¹ and on his podcasts, which can be found on Rumble.

Health Canada regulates all natural health products, such as supplements, assuring consumers that these products are safe and effective. They have noted that most Canadians utilize these products, in one form or another, as well as traditional health practitioners, on a daily basis. There are currently over 200,000 NHPs on the market, and alternative practitioners are being sought out on a regular basis, partially due to the dismal state of our medical care system.  Traditional medicine is used widely around the world.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 80% of Africa’s population uses it for their healthcare needs, while in China, it accounts for around 40% of their requirements.

As recently reported by CTV News, a new bill is in the works which will force hospitals to report adverse effects of herbal remedies and supplements. If passed, NHPs would be monitored under the pharmaceutical umbrella. Do you see where this is going?

Although NHPs have always been considered lower-risk and less harmful than prescription drugs, the Canadian Pharmacists Association continues to reinforce that using them is highly risky. Or, if the truth were known, and more to the point, sales of NHPs cut into pharmaceutical profits.

Currently, Health Canada has strict protocols for NHP manufacturers. They must provide detailed information about proposed products, including clinical trial data, medicinal ingredients, source, potency, and recommended uses. The process is time-consuming and prohibitively expensive, and yet the powers that be continue to sneak more roadblocks in their way.

In 2022, the B.C. government surreptitiously passed the Health Professions and Occupations Act, otherwise known as Bill 36. This act adversely affects dentists, physiotherapists, and acupuncturists, among others.

In May of 2023, as explained by Lisa Petty of Alive magazine, “the government proposed crippling new fees which could end innovation and shrink the selection on store shelves.”

Health Canada has also initiated restrictive, inflexible, and costly label changes, resulting in lower profits and doubling of package sizes. The most heinous proposed regulatory change would force the NHP manufacturers to reimburse Health Canada for the cost of monitoring and approving their products pre-market.

The Natural Health Products Protection Association (NHPPA) adamantly claims that the Liberal government is trying to eliminate natural products altogether.

The background:

Natural health products include probiotics, herbal remedies, vitamins and minerals, homeopathic medicines, traditional medicines such as Chinese and Ayurvedic remedies, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. These products can be identified by the eight-digit Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM) on the label. These numbers show that the products have been authorized for sale in Canada.  The federal government recently reclassified NHPs as “therapeutic products,” complete with new legislation within their Bill C-47.

According to the Fraser Institute, self-care products such as some toothpaste, antiperspirants, shampoos, facial products, and mouthwashes also fall under the purview of NHPs.

Once authorized by Health Canada, the labels must include the brand name, medicinal and non-medicinal ingredients, quantity in the bottle, conditions of use, and special storage conditions.

Alternative/complementary practitioners such as chiropractors, midwives, naturopathic doctors, massage therapists, traditional Chinese medicine doctors, and acupuncturists are all licensed, but only in certain provinces.

Needless to say, Health Canada continues to put major new regulations in place, not stopping to consider the effect on NHP retailers and alternative medicine practitioners. This places a huge financial burden on the industry and affects the quality of research, competitiveness, and even jobs.  At this point, one in five NHP brands is considering leaving Canada and relocating to a less expensive market.  Seventy percent of health food stores and other retailers will be forced to remove products from their inventory, if not take more drastic measures. The Fraser Institute estimated that 60%-75% of NHPs will be forced to disappear from the market. They explain that many studies indicate that small firms bear a disproportionate share of the regulation burden.

Sadly, traditional practitioners of Chinese medicine who prescribe herbal remedies that have been used successfully for thousands of years are feeling vulnerable and at risk.

One such practitioner, Logan Grundy R.T.C.M.P, has this to say:

“I am concerned about Health Canada’s proposal to restrict the sale of natural health products and supplements, as it infringes on our right as Canadians to choose our own healthcare options.  We should have the freedom to select between pharmaceuticals and natural medicine, fully aware of the benefits and risks associated with each. Given the declining nutrient content in our food supply and the increasing difficulty of accessing medical care, many Canadians rely on these supplements for their well-being and should be empowered to make informed decisions independently.”

Why is this happening?  Many of the so-called “more efficient” regulations are ineffective at best.  Revisiting the aforementioned nicotine patch scenario, it is obvious that there is no logic involved, but simply one more money grab for already massively wealthy pharmaceutical companies.  After all, if there are no NHPs available, it would open the door to the development of more prescription drugs, for which it would be at their discretion what to charge the unsuspecting public.  Or how about more untested, unproven junk vaccines to “cure and prevent” Covid and a succession of new viruses?

Currently, the United States remains more relaxed in its NHP regulation than Canada. Mr. David Stephan of Hartleyville, Alberta, is employed by TrueHope, the natural product business founded by his father in the 1990s. TrueHope’s US website continues to list over 35 positive claims regarding certain natural health products that have been censored from its Canadian website.

Since there are absolutely no NHP-related deaths recorded in Canada, why would Health Canada and the Natural Health Products Regulators feel the need to reclassify them as drugs?  Why take Canadian natural products out of circulation, especially when they are continuing to be sold, with no adverse effects, in the US?  Canadians, for the most part, are cautious and informed regarding NHPs and self-care products and services, requiring no urgent need for these changes. Case in point, since the inception of the NHP regulations, there has been no increase in the safety, efficacy, or quality of natural health products.

So, what are we doing to fight back? The regulatory change is being opposed vehemently by all government parties, except the Liberals, as well as national media campaigns launched by the Canadian Health Food Association. The Natural Health Products Protection Association is also campaigning, claiming that Ottawa is attempting to do away with natural products.

Conservative MP Blaine Calkins, minister for Red Deer-Lacombe riding, introduced Bill C-368 to repeal the changes that were furtively inserted into Bill C-47. The new bill is designed to undo the disastrous changes wrought by Health Canada, aka the pharmaceutical behemoths.

Alive Magazine states that “the never-ending supply of sticky red tape, excessive fees, and haphazard policy creation at Health Canada does not bode well for NHPs.”

Diana Ann Pink, a holistic health practitioner, cautions, “It is crucial that we learn and spread the truth amongst the people about what is really going on behind government doors. We need to rise up, work together, and stop these reckless Health Canada bureaucrats. This is unjustified and bordering on malfeasance.”

Please visit https://nhppa.org to learn more about taking action. Your health and that of your loved ones are at stake.

1. https://www.amazon.ca/Moving-Beyond-Covid-19-Lies-Restoring/dp/1961641224