Thank you, Linsey, and thank you for the question, Chair.
As we stated earlier, natural health products are an important part of maintaining our healthy lifestyle. Through our regulatory role, we provide oversight for safety and efficacy and quality. Before products can be sold in Canada, they are assessed before a licence is provided. This includes a review of the types of ingredients, the dosage and health claims to determine which products can be safely used by consumers.
As you noted, while the audit identified areas for improvement, I'll also note that our approach to assessing the safety and efficacy of natural health products prior to licence was found to be appropriate. The audit also found that when an issue was brought to our attention, the department took action to mitigate the risks.
I'll stop there.