May 5, 2008
HEALTH CANADA WANTS TO RESTRICT YOUR OPTIONS
By Klaus Ferlow,
Protect Your Constitutional Rights! An
Important Notice Regarding the new Bill C-51
On April 8, 2008, the Minister of Health, Tony
Clement introduced Bill C-51 into the House of
Commons (the bill received already the first and
second reading) which proposes significant changes
to the current Food and Drug Act that would remove
critical checks and balances from Health Canada and
endanger your Constitutional rights to "life,
liberty, and security of person (Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedom (1982), Section 7 and the
Canadian Bill of Rights (1960),Section 1(a).
Without immediate action from concerned citizen like
you, this Bill will soon be law in Canada!
There is something wrong:
With "health" legislation which allows the State to
seize health products without considering whether we
need the products.
With the State making personal health decisions for
us. Health decisions are fundamental to our personal
autonomy
With the State being able to seize property without
prior Court approval, without clearly defined
reasons for the seizure, without time limit, and
without Court supervision
With the State being able to trespass on our
property without any recourse. Surely we can draft
"health" protection legislation that does not read
like a police state handbook!
How would Bill C-51 affect
you?
Many natural health products (upwards of 75%) that
have been sold for decades would become unavailable,
and remaining products would cost much more
(Sections 13 & 18.7)
The Minister could designate any natural health
product a prescription drug, making available by
prescription only (Section 15.1 (4)
You could be fined thousands of dollars or go to
jail for giving your child or friend a natural
health product (Section 31 & 3(3) – expanded
definition of "sell")
Researchers would lose academic freedom; they could
not study the beneficial effects of natural health
products without first getting the government's
permission (Sections 3 (6) & 18.2)
Internationally laws that restrict access to natural
health products could be made law in Canada without
the approval of elected officials or any debate in
the Parliament (Sections 3 (6) & 30 (7)
To enforce this new law, inspectors could enter
private property (under Section 23) and: take
anything at their discretion, never pay the owner
for it, charge the owner of the property a fee for
shipping it to a secure storage unit, charge the
owner of the property fees for keeping it in
storage, keep it in storage as long as the want;
and/or dispose of it at will.
URGENT CALL TO ACTION! (Act Now – there is not
much time left!) Here's what you can do to protect your rights:
Educate Yourself
- Ask the leaders in your community to get involved
- Contact your MLA
- Tell your Friends Get involved
- Send a handwritten letter (a posted letter is most
effective), fax, email or call Prime Minister
Harper, Minister of Health Tony Clement, Robert
Thibeault, Critic for the Minister of Health and
copies to your local MP, Member of Parliament and
state that you are:
• Opposed to the police state powers in Bill-C51
• You want them to vote against Bill C-51
• You want your access to natural health products
protected
• Point out that you are paying for this effective
form of healthcare by buying safe natural health
products to maintain your health out of your own
pocket and saving taxpayers" money while our
healthcare system is broken
Here are the addresses:
Stephen Harper, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A
0A6 (no postage necessary)
Tel. (613)992-4211, Fax: (613)974-0310,
email: pm@pm.gc.ca
Tony Clement, Room 278, Confederation Building,
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6,
(no postage necessary), Tel. (613)944-7740,
email:
minister_ministre@hc-sc.gc.ca
For more information about Bill C-51 or on the
threats to Natural Health Products, please visit
these websites:
Natural Health Products Protection Association,
Kamloops, B.C.,
www.nhppa.org
Health Action Network Society, Burnaby, B.C.
www.hans.org
Both organizations need your help, support and
donations (become a member) so they can keep
fighting for you and your Constitutional Rights.
Klaus Ferlow is a member of the Advisory Board of
the Natural Health Products Protection Association,
Kamloops, B.C. and you can reach him at
604-820-1777,
email: klaus [at] ferlowbotanicals.com