MP Olivia Chow Bill C-51 Forum

[Guest guest]

The following is a forwarded message from NDP MP Olivia Chow regarding Bill

C-51.

 

July 7, 2008

 

Dear Friends,

 

I would like to invite you to a forum to discuss Bill C-51. This

controversial bill will eliminate 60 percent of natural health products

including

traditional Chinese herbal medicine. As well, inspectors will have major new

powers

to search, seize, and dispose of personal property. Overall this bill will

limit access to natural health products including traditional Chinese herbal

medicine.

 

Please join me on Sunday July 13th from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Langara

College (100W.49th Avenue, Vancouver) in Room A122a (Lecture Theatre) to

participate in a forum to discuss the bill and the detrimental effect it will

have

on producers and consumers of natural health care products.

 

Bill C-51 is in front of Parliament now and is currently being debated. The

NDP and I plan to vote against the bill in the fall as we recognize the

negative impact this bill will have on a huge segment of the Canadian

population.

 

Bill C-51 lumps natural health products in with drugs in a category called

therapeutic products that appears to reverse a long-standing position of

having a separate regulatory framework. This, combined with a huge backlog in

the

licensing of natural health products, is generating alarm among producers and

consumers of natural health care products such as traditional Chinese herbal

medicine. It is important that we are united in our position against this

bill and this forum will be a great opportunity to express our concerns. I look

forward to seeing you there.

 

Sincerely,

 

Olivia Chow, MP

Trinity-Spadina

_http://oliviachow.ndp.ca_ (http://oliviachow.ndp.ca/) /

 

 

Founded in 1984, Health Action Network Society is a membership-based,

non-profit charitable organization dedicated to gathering and disseminating

health

promotion information