TROJAN HORSE SET TO STAMPEDE HOMEOPATHS IN ONTARIO

[Guest guest]

Ottawa, April 18, 2007

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(

If you are in receipt of this release, and care about the future of

homeopathy in Canada, please forward it immediately to others who may have

similar

concerns or interests

 

TROJAN HORSE SET TO STAMPEDE HOMEOPATHS IN ONTARIO

 

 Ontario homeopaths and healthcare activists from around the world met at the

Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday, April 14th to discuss the Bill

171, the Health Systems Act which - if it becomes law - will regulate and

control the homeopathic practitioners in the province.

 

The meeting, organized by Ontario homeopath Barbara Etcovitch, CCH, RCSHom

and Marilyn Nelson, founder of Freedom in Canadian Health Care, addressed the

long-range ramifications of the legislation and explored the avenues through

which to best protect both the practitioners and the public.

 

The consensus at the meeting was that the Bill should never come into

existence as it lacks two important criteria, consensus within the profession

and the

possible risk of harm. These are factors that must exist before legislation

is attempted, yet the Bill has already had its second reading in Parliament. 

The Bill has progressed unaltered despite intensive lobbying of the Health

Practitioners Regulatory Advisory Council (HPRAC) by homeopaths and others

concerned about the future of non-pharmaceutical healthcare.

 

 

At the meeting, Scott Tips JD, Food and Drug Attorney and President of the

US-based National Health Federation, explained that “the so-called Health

Systems Act (Bill 171) is being posted as the solution to a problem that does

not

exist. Under this Bill, homeopathy, a health practice which helps restore

balance within the body without side-effects or dangers, would be subject to

increasingly expensive and needless regulation, expenses which will be pushed

onto

the patients. The Bill also suffers from major procedural defects; firstly, that

a mandatory consensus within the profession must exist but has not been found

and, secondly, that there has not been any showing of harm to justify this

legislation.â€

 

Even more alarming is the fact that Bill 171 echoes legislation to restrict

or eradicate alternative forms of medicine in other parts of the world.

 

Robert Verkerk PhD, Executive and Scientific Director of the Alliance of

Natural Health, another participant in the Toronto meeting, explained that “

homeopathy is under attack around the world. In the UK, for example, over the

past

six months, the orthodox medical profession has made several targeted attacks

on homeopathy and is now threatening the oldest homeopathic hospital in the

world, the Royal London Hospital of Homeopathy. Further, the public across the

European Union has also been affected because the European Commission regulated

homeopathic medicines under EU medicinal law in 2004 and as the member states

began to embrace the law, prices to the consumer have escalated while the

range of remedies have become increasingly restricted.  Medicinal law is

ultimately damaging to homeopathy and my view is that Bill 171 should be

rejected

vigorously by all Canadian homeopaths.â€

 

 

Ms. Etcovitch, raising the alarm to her colleagues in Ontario, explained

that, “homeopaths in Ontario have to carefully consider the implications of

this

Bill, not only for their own sakes but for the welfare of their patients. They

need to acquire a global perspective and examine what is going on in other

parts of the world. Some homeopaths in the province believe that the

government’s

stamp of approval, through statutory regulation, will “legitimize†the

profession, bring more patients in and entice insurance companies to provide

coverage for homeopathic visits. However, in the light of what is happening to

homeopathy in other countries, they are playing a dangerous game and may find

themselves looking a gift horse in the mouth. Bill 171 promotes a medical

approach

to homeopathy and misinterprets this brilliant and sometimes maligned science.

It is bad enough that medical doctors are being given one-day training

courses and told that they can prescribe homeopathic remedies. We can’t allow

a Bill

into law that will dilute our profession in another way.â€

 

The Standing Committee on Social Policy, empowered to consider Bill 171 on

behalf of the Canadian government, is accepting written submissions about the

Bill until 5:00 pm on Tuesday, April 24, 2007. Ms. Etcovitch has indicated she

will consider any comments about the Bill for inclusion in her own submission,

which is also receiving input from Mr. Tips of the National Health Federation

and Dr Verkerk of the Alliance for Natural Health. 

 

 

For additional information contact, Barbara Etcovitch (613) 248- 9885;  

info