Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today on behalf of the 157,057 Canadians who have signed the historic charter of health freedom petition, one of the largest paper petitions in Canadian history, initiated by the Natural Health Product Protection Association.
Parliament has a duty to respond to a petition of this magnitude, one driven by grassroots, everyday people who want rights that guarantee their freedom to make informed choices about their own health. These rights include the right of every person to sovereignty over their own body, the right to choose how to prevent illnesses or address illness and injury, the right to access treatment options without unnecessary government restrictions, the right to make their own health decisions without undue interference from the state, respect for the constitutional role of the provinces in health care and recognition of the sovereign right of first nations people to practise their traditional medicines.
The charter of health freedom calls for a new legislative framework recognizing natural health products and traditional medicines in their own category, rather than treating them as therapeutic drugs under the Food and Drugs Act.
Canadians deserve a system that protects safety while respecting their ability to care for their own health, and after over 157,000 voices have spoken, now is the time for action for the health freedom of Canadians.