Evidence of meeting #135 for Health in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was product.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Mark Holland Liberal Ajax, ON
I'm not sure we have the exact number. If we have it, I'll allow it to be given.
However, I want to say up front that part of the problem, of course, is this: When we encounter a situation like the one I talked about, where the U.S. FDA flags something and we don't have the power to pull it from the shelves, those are real situations. They have happened. They don't need to happen a lot to be very dangerous.
I'll pass it over.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Regulatory, Operations and Enforcement Branch, Department of Health
The 350 recalls that were mentioned—a member mentioned this previously—led to 31 public advisories. Of those 31, we had three companies that were simply uncooperative, so it's 10%.
I would ask members not to forget that what's missing in that number is those that took a lot of time, energy and hours.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
I understand the delays.
I'll come back to the issue of non-compliance. Was it three cases of non-compliance or three companies having more than three cases of non-compliance?
Assistant Deputy Minister, Regulatory, Operations and Enforcement Branch, Department of Health
Of the 350, 31 were serious enough that we had to do public risk comms—
Assistant Deputy Minister, Regulatory, Operations and Enforcement Branch, Department of Health
—and, of the 31 where risk comms were required, three were uncooperative.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Regulatory, Operations and Enforcement Branch, Department of Health
Yes.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Okay. Thank you. That's helpful for us.
I'll come back to two other questions that weren't answered.
As Mr. Calkins testified, every natural health product number is approved by Health Canada, and Health Canada has the ability to “revoke a natural product number and cancel the product.” I want to come back and ask you about that, Minister.
With a few seconds left, as well, could you answer my question about the number of provinces that have stepped up on pharmacare or are interested in the program?
Also, thank you for the information that a million Canadians have benefited from dental care. I think that's something that, hopefully, Conservative MPs will send out to their ridings, as well.
Liberal
Mark Holland Liberal Ajax, ON
The problem is that it's not immediate, so those products continue to exist out there in a retail landscape. Even after you exercise the power to arrêt it, it continues to exist out there. Every day that it exists, somebody could be hospitalized.
I will say that, while there were three that were intransigent and very difficult in terms of compliance, 31 were in so serious a state that we had to issue the advisory. Our circumstance was that those products were staying on shelves for an unacceptable length of time, risking human life in the way I talked about, with people being hospitalized for lead poisoning or for having too much vitamin D. These are people going to hospitals in those instances.
I'll have to come back on the others.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Thank you, Minister.
We're past the top of the hour, but there's been a lot of wrangling. If you can stay for 10 minutes, we could get in one round each for the Liberals and the Conservatives. That would take us to the end of the second round.
Do you have 10 minutes?
Liberal
Mark Holland Liberal Ajax, ON
I have a press conference I'm supposed to prep for. Could we just do three minutes each? Is that okay?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Okay. If that's the time you have, we'll take it.
Next up is Mrs. Goodridge for three minutes.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Was there a gender-based analysis performed prior to the omnibus bill through the Budget Implementation Act of 2023, yes or no?
Liberal
Mark Holland Liberal Ajax, ON
Yes. With respect to using the budget implementation act, the regulation is normal practice. It's done by Conservative and Liberal governments.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Yes, I'm fully aware.
Was a gender-based analysis specifically done on the natural health product piece?
Conservative
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
My next question is this: Did you look at the impacts on traditional indigenous medicines and how this will impact them? This is going to be devastating to traditional harvesters.
Liberal
Mark Holland Liberal Ajax, ON
No, it won't be, because it only deals with non-compliance and those who aren't trying to comply, so it would in no way affect those who are trying to comply with Health Canada regulations.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Minister, you are using effectively a sledgehammer rather than a rubber mallet when it comes to natural health products. You are treating people like they are criminals before they've done anything wrong. Precisely, you say you are supportive of this industry, and you talk at length about feces and other things. That is a very small minority of situations and bad actors.
You have other tools at your disposal. If you really wanted to deal with them, you could create specific, rubber mallet sort of solutions to deal with them, but you sit there shaking your head and playing politics with this rather than working with people.
Why won't you look at common-sense solutions to create ways to keep Canadians safe but allow access to natural health products?
Liberal
Mark Holland Liberal Ajax, ON
First of all, in the deepest part of my soul, I believe that repealing Vanessa's Law is bad for human health. It has nothing to do with politics; it has to do with safety.
Second, with respect to a sledgehammer versus rubber mallet, this only comes into effect where there's a serious violation and where human health is at risk. I don't have any ability to use these powers until we are in this situation—
Conservative