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ABOUT THE CHARTER

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Initiative

The Charter of Health Freedom

The Charter of Health Freedom is proposed legislation that gives Natural Health Products and Traditional Medicines their own Act.

The Charter protects our access to Natural Health Products and Traditional Medicines by creating separate legal category for them.  Rather than being deemed as dangerous drugs under the Food and Drugs Act, under the Charter Natural Health Products and Traditional Medicines are deemed to be safe, as they are in the United States

The Charter of Health Freedom offers an appropriate, healthy, beneficial, safe and well-rooted change for regulating the natural health community.  Canadians are protected by permitting unsafe products to be removed while at the same time ensuring that safe and effective treatments remain available.

Two Sets Of Rules

We need a balanced set of laws for NHPs and the natural health community. We need a legal foundation designed to protect NHPs and the natural health community. We can’t experience the health freedom that the courts tell us we have if there is restricted access to safe, effective and high quality NHPs and natural and traditional health practitioners. The Charter of Health Freedom gives the government powers needed to address safety concerns while at the same time charging them to respect our rights and freedoms.

Products versus Practice

The Charter of Health Freedom is a Federal Law. The federal government does not have the jurisdiction to regulate health care practitioners. This is why provinces regulate health issues such as who can practice as health care practitioners. Because the Federal Government does not have the jurisdiction to regulate health care practitioners, the Charter of Health Freedom does not attempt to do so. The only effect the Charter will have on health care practitioners is to ensure that safe and effective treatments remain available to them.

Grassroots Movement

The Charter of Health Freedom is being supported by a broad cross-section of Canadians, including consumers/citizens, herbalists. NHP manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, Natural Health practitioners from many disciplines and cultures and NGOs. The Charter of Health Freedom seeks to ensure that the rights guaranteed to Canadians in Constitution and our common law heritage aren’t extinguished by actions, well-intentioned or otherwise, of any governments, domestic or foreign.

The principles of the Charter of Health Freedom are universal in nature, but the language is specific to the Canadian legal/constitutional system. The Charter reaffirms in law the long-standing relationship citizens of our great nation have enjoyed with government as a servant, rather than master in our affairs

Life or Death Issues

The Charter protects Canadians’ rights to unhindered access to safely regulated natural health products.

It protects our freedom of choice from over-regulation and inappropriate regulation. It protects and even saves Canadian’s lives. Since the January 2004 implementation of the Natural Health Products Regulations, Canadians have already lost over 30,000 safe and effective natural health products. This Charter will put an end to the unreasonable restriction in our natural health community.

Economics

The greatest crisis facing Canadians in our health care system is the growing tension between constantly rising costs and declining outcomes. When Canadians use natural health products they ease the burden on the health care system. This deserves to be recognized by our Members of Parliament. Why is it not public policy to support such tendencies Dollar against dollar, measure against measure – benefits, adverse effects, compliance – NHPs deliver a better return on investment than drugs. It should be the case that the widest possible use of NHPs is formally promoted.

A Natural Act

Natural Health Products and Traditional Medicine cannot be safeguarded under the Food and Drugs Act. The natural health community needs a separate act. If the tobacco industry was permitted to protect itself from drug regulation in 1997 by forming the Tobacco Act, so too can safe and effective NHPs and traditional medicine be permitted protection in a similar fashion.

This new federal legislation serves to include all natural medicines, therapies and treatments. It is built on the fundamental belief that every person has the right to choose what form of health care they and their family wish to receive.