Health Canada is initiating a second set of public consultations about the regulation of self-care products, including natural health remedies, over-the-counter medications, and cosmetics. Public meetings to discuss these issues began this week, starting in Saskatoon and continuing across the country for the next three months.
Last fall, the agency conducted a web-based gathering of opinion. Health Canada received a lot of negative feedback from health providers, industry representatives, consumers, and public groups, who expressed concerns over the suggested overhaul.
With the new regulations, self-care products labelled as moderate- or high-risk would necessitate a science-based government review, while lower-risk products would not be reviewed by Health Canada. In addition, lower-risk products would no longer be able to make claims about efficacy for certain health issues.
“Health Canada is of the view that self-care products in general are lower risk and therefore will not be treated [like] prescription drugs,” says Manon Bombardier, director-general of Health Canada’s Natural and Non-Prescription Health Products Directorate.
The Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) opposed last fall’s proposal, and is waiting to see what this round of consultations has in store.
“The initial proposal back in the fall lacked clarity and details, and we were concerned it could have negative implications for the 79 per cent of Canadians that are using natural health products,” says Long. “Once the next round of consultations actually begins, I expect that we we’ll get a bit more of a glimpse into where they’re proposing to go next.”
The remaining consultations will take place as follows:
April 20, 2017 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Yellowknife, NWT Register Now
April 24, 2017 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Montreal, QC Register Now
April 28, 2017 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Halifax, NS Register Now
May 2, 2017 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Toronto, ON – Downtown Register Now
May 3, 2017 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Toronto, ON – Airport Register Now
May 5, 2017 9:00 am – 12:20 pm Web Consultation (English) Register Now
May 5, 2017 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Web Consultation (French) Register Now
If you are interested in making your voice heard, please attend one of these sessions.
