Have you replenished your supply of Vitamin B complex, Vitamin C or D, or Calcium and Magnesium, a fibre product, or any other such health products? Our pharmacies carry shelves of natural health products which can include things like aluminum-free deodorant and fluoride-free toothpaste.
Did you know that Health Canada is proposing to add fees to natural health products? The list can include things like mobility aids.
The added fee is planned for April 1, 2025, but I feel I’m late to this party. The public and stakeholder consultation period began in May of 2023 and that 90-day window has closed. However, the Standing Committee on Health (HESA) is still engaged in this matter.
What’s at stake?
High-quality, Canadian-made natural health products are already costly enough. Businesses and consumers alike will face a hefty markup if Health Canada applies fees. Standards such as good manufacturing practices are already in place. The licensing process has been in place for years. But the fee would be new.
According to Aaron Skelton, President and CEO of the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA), there is pushback to Health Canada’s proposed fees. According to a press release from CHFA, Canada’s largest trade association for natural, organic and wellness products, there’s been a second Fall hearing on the proposed new Health Canada Natural Health Products (NHPs) regulations.
On Oct. 30, The House Standing Committee on Health again heard from Members of Parliament and witnesses that Health Canada’s proposals for regulatory changes for Natural Health Products are not supported by Canadians or industry.
Industry leaders were called to the House of Commons Standing Health Committee to address Health Canada's forthcoming changes to regulations. The spotlight was on the proposed cost recovery and labelling guidelines, which experts warn could put hundreds of Canadian companies out of business and skyrocket consumer prices.
The CHFA was among those who appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health. Their primary message to Ottawa: the negative consequences of over-regulation and lack of consultation will have severe unintended consequences. Health Canada needs to work with the industry on a full reset.
Skelton said Canada is a global leader with its gold-standard regulatory framework for NHPs. He emphasized that the key to maintaining this status lies in regulating NHPs based on their risk levels, ensuring the health and safety of Canadians.
“While we agree that current regulations are vital for product safety and efficacy, the new proposed over-regulation will have the opposite effect,” said Skelton. “It will drive consumers towards unregulated international online markets that often offer completely unregulated lower-cost products, risking consumer safety.”
“How does that better protect Canadian consumers or benefit Canada in any way?” Skelton posed to the HESA Committee (Standing Committee on Health). “This Committee needs to send a strong formal message to Health Canada that the proposed cost and regulatory burden must stop. We need a formal reset.”
All Opposition party MPs highlighted the overwhelming consumer and stakeholder concern they have been hearing locally. MP Stephen Ellis, Vice Chair of the Committee, referenced vast feedback he and all MPs have received from constituents – literal "banker boxes" filled with postcards expressing their concerns about the proposed changes. Liberal MPs shared similar constituent feedback prior to the formal hearings.
Skelton concluded, “At a time where Canadians are looking for the most efficient way to spend every dollar they’ve got, this would make utilizing natural health products to support their health that much more challenging – all while leaving online international markets open for lower cost products who don’t have the same rigor and oversight, we’re so proud of here in Canada.”
CHFA also expressed appreciation for all Opposition MPs and from the Conservatives, the Bloc, and the NDP for voting to hold the hearings and have expert industry witnesses appear.
From the early days of preventing rickets and pellagra, natural supplements have played a huge role in our health. Although Health Canada has said this will take some of the burden off taxpayers who obviously pay for Health Canada salaries and infrastructure, it would be surprising to see taxes lowered for anyone from this move.
