Mr. Speaker, the health minister explicitly stated in the House that Bill C-7, then reintroduced as Bill C-8, was a narcotics bill and that it did not deal with natural health products.
However, the Liberals then declared vitamins, minerals and herbs with any therapeutic value to be drugs. Now, without any evidence that these products are unsafe, the Liberals are actively removing vitamins, minerals, herbal and natural extracts that have been on our shelves for years. In addition, Canada Customs is
arbitrarily seizing natural health products at the border or refusing their entry into Canada.
Under the new rules, companies must provide these products are safe beyond a shadow of a doubt. Only the big pharmaceutical companies can afford to market their products under these rules.
The bottom line is that what is taken off the shelf in the public interest is put right back on in an official bottle at double or triple the price.
The issue is not about safety; it is about money and power. Under the Liberal government, consumers and small businesses are losing to big corporations.