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Canada Consumer Product Safety Act

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Bill C-51 is part of the pooh Consumer Product Safety Plan being proposed by the Government of Canada.

The legislative package proposes amendments to the Food and Drugs Act as well as a new Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. These bills, C-51 and C-52 are a result of increased consumer concern over products, drugs and food which have been the subject of recalls over the past few years. Canada’s Hazardous Products Act have not been updated in over 40 years and the Food and Drug Act has not been updated in over 50 years. Canada’s regulatory system has not kept pace with the global economy and increasing amounts of international trade. The Minister of Health, for example, currently doesn’t have the power to force recall of faulty or counterfeit products in Canada. There is currently no mandatory reporting of adverse reactions to drugs, another gap which will be addressed by the proposed legislation.

Support for improving Consumer Product Safety

Health Canada consulted widely with industry and consumer groups over a period of several years before bringing forward the Consumer Product Safety Action Plan.[1]

Health Canada regularly issues warnings, advisories and information updates to advise consumers of products on the market which contain unlisted pharmaceutical ingredients; contain toxic substances such as mercury or arsenic; or are otherwise contaminated by dangerous and unhealthy substances. However under existing legislation, the Minister of Health has no power to compel recall of these products.

For example, in July 2007 Health Canada issued a warning[2] about a shipment of toothpaste fraudulently branded as “Colgate” which contained bacteria that could make people sick. The toothpaste was not produced by Procter and Gamble, manufacturers of the real Colgate brand, and although it was labelled “Made in China” in fact it was apparently made and shipped from South Africa.

In February 2008, CTV's W-Five ran a story about a Natural Health Product called Sleepees which was illegally adulterated with estazolam, a potentially addictive prescription drug. Bill C-51 is intended to ensure that tainted products are found and recalled, and will help target the minority of natural health product manufacturers who behave irresponsibly.

Controversy

Opposition to Bill C-51 has been vociferous.The nwo scum. Critics of the bill have claimed Bill C-51 will outlaw many common vitamins, compel prescriptions and raise the price for Vitamin C, and will reject almost 80 per cent of natural health products submitted for approvals.[3]. Critics of the bill also claim that the bill gives Health Canada far reaching powers, such as enabling search and seizure without a court order.[4] Claims have also been made that it would be illegal for parents to feed their children blueberries.[5]

The bill's main opponent is a group named “Stop C-51.” This group has had its own controversies, as it has been funded by a company called Truehope Nutritional Support Ltd.[citation needed], the Alberta firm that makes EMpowerPlus, a multi-vitamin mixture billed as a treatment for bipolar and other serious psychiatric illnesses. Truehope was tried in 2006, but acquitted, for selling the treatment as a drug without a Drug Identification Number.

The "Stop C-51" campaign has been referred to as an Astroturf campaign.[6][7][8]

Health Canada and the Minister of Health Tony Clement has responded to some of what Stop C-51 alleges[9], and some companies such as Jamieson[10], the Canadian Health Food Association and Canadian health reporters, such as the Globe and Mail's Andre Picard have supported C-51, with its proposed amendments.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Consumer Product Safety Action Plan
  2. ^ "Counterfeit Toothpaste Falsely Labelled as Colgate Found to Contain Harmful Bacteria"
  3. ^ http://www.stopc51.com/ Stop C-51 Stop Bill C-51
  4. ^ http://www.stopc51.com/pdf/C-51_1.pdf
  5. ^ http://www.ottawaskeptics.org/component/content/article/127
  6. ^ "A Triumph of Astroturf?: How a consumer protection law may be defeated by a faux consumer watchdog campaign". eSkeptic. Skeptics Society. 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
  7. ^ "Firms back campaign against health bill".
  8. ^ Globe and Mail: Critics blast new rules for natural remedies
  9. ^ "Bill C-51 and the Regulation of Natural Health Products - Fast Facts".
  10. ^ "Ottawa to revive supplement safety bill".
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