Hi all.  Sorry for not replying sooner- I've been away a for a bit.   First off let me say I am happy to see so many people actually reading the bill and discussing it.   ;)b    For those who are skeptical about whether or not it will actually affect the main types of natural, helpful herbs and vitamins that are proven benficial either by actual scientific-backed studies (which is rare because most scientific studies are only done on the drugs pushed by Big Pharma since new drug cocktails are where they make their money, not simple, basic, "common" herbs and natural remedies) or simple, commonly known now by years of empirical use and experience over generations herbs, minerals, vitamins, etc,  I applaud that you are being analytical.  It is always good to look at the facts along with all the angles and the big picture!  Unfortunately the big picture does include the whole Codex Alimentarius scheme of gaining control of our world's food supply (including herbs, vitamins, and any supplements that can affect nutrition and health).  This bill may not spell it out concisely at this "introductory" phase, but what it DOES allow (see below) is the removal of the right for the "people" to have any control over what they choose to allow as safe or permissable in alternative health and nutritional supplements.  You're right, it doesn't state specifically YET that ALL specfic herbs, vitamins, minerals are banned.  It DOES completely leave wide open the door for that to happen easily WITHOUT anyone being able to stop it, though, once the law has been passed so that Canada must be compliant with other foreign policies' nutritional guidelines.  This is where Codex falls in.  They are pushing and enforcing their nutritional/food standards on other, smaller, less powerful countries that cannot afford to lose the U.N.'s and WTO's sanctions, grants, and benefits that are threatened to be stopped if the countries do not comply.   (Codex is a part of the U.N. and W.T.O.)   Now once Canda agrees to hand over her power of  choice and control of nutrional standards to beaurucrats who are more interested in getting people malnourished and sick so they can make thier profits on their stock and involvement in the Big Pharma and Big Chema companies (gmo crops are being FORCED on these smaller, less financially powerful countries to be grown and eaten, which racks up debt for the individual farmers for having to buy seed every year instead of being able to use their own from their previous year's original seed-bearing unaltered crops, along with making their families and the countries' population slowly sick from eating the gmo's-- viscious, evil cycle controlled by Big Chema who creates these gmo's and chemicals needed to promote the  growth of the gmo crops-- Yes, it's all inter-related because it all comes back to who owns the big corps profitting from keeping people sick, keeping control of food, keeping control of our money, keeping us at war with each other, keeping us in fear of the economy so we look blindly to gov't to help us while gov't keeps its knowledge and therefore power and money in tight a circle  - it is ALL tied together if you haven't noticed that yet), Canadians will then start to see the noose tighten and the different and numerous herbs and supplements they think are great being listed as illegal. Codex is not stupid.  It does not list its name on any of these bills.  It does not work that way.  The representatives for the comittees go to Codex's annual meetings (usually held in Rome and in Germany), listen to what their "scientists" (many whom worked for Hitler and the Nazi's) suggest as recommended, then come back to their country's Congress and recommend the UN's (Codex's) suggestions and then it goes straight to being presnted as a bill.   

Even if you do not believe that there are some people who are evil enough to care how it affects the health of needy and innocent people, or whether you believe they would not ban certain things becuase they would still want to make the $9 profit on a bottle of herbs and keep them in circulation (and the pharmaceutical industry is making much much larger profits that make mere $9 profits insignificant), what does your gut tell you about the portions of the bill that would allow seizures, intrusions without warrant, etc, etc for possessing "therapeutic products" which can be easliy interpretted later to mean whatever "they" (not the People though) want?   I am all for regulating natural substances in order to stop harmful "quackery" by the small minority, but this is NOT the law to do that.  There are far too many open-ended assumptions and loose ends written in here that allow for easy misuse by the powerful few over the masses once this was passed.  You want regulation, go for it, but present it in bills that are much more precise and specific and not open to misuse and abuse by those in the postions of power.  Keep the power with you all, with the People!  (I say "you all" because I am not in Canada.  And before someone accuses me of needing to mind my own buisiness, I bring this up out of concern for all people no matter where on earth we are located.  I do not believe in the ignorant and pompass slogan some chant of "God bless America" as if only Americans deserve to be happy, healthy, successful- I belive in "God bless our whole world!"   Everyone deserves decency, health, and happiness.  That is why I speak up.  I speak up here in the U.S. too about what Codex is trying to sneak through in our own Congress, also.)  You're ok with certain portions of the bill, but don't like other parts-  fine!  Contact your reps to let them know you insist they do not pass those portions, or better yet, reject the bill until it reads to how you, the People, desire it and feel comfortable! 

And as far as herbs and vitamins being banned in Europe-  Perhaps I spoke too vaguely.  Spain may not have the ban YET-  I would suggest taking the time to check your gov'ts websites and checking out all of your countries' proposed bills regarding food, supplements, nutrition, ag and gmo, etc related bills to see if there are not some in the works- many countries do.  I do know first hand that some countries in Europe HAVE outlawed vitmain and mineral and herbal supplements.  I think it is Norway and Germany that have, possibly Ireland and Scotland too now.  I have had a girl ask me to mail her vitamins becaue she cannot buy them in her European country, as it is illegal now, but right now she can receive them as  a "gift" from out of country friends or relatives in small doses.  SO just because Spain does still allow them, do not assume all European countries do.  Yes, it is crazy sounding, that such a thing could actually happen... but it is still sadly true.  Not enough people get concerned, research it, and care, and so these laws pass because the greedy few get their selfish, evil way while we "regular, well-meaning, but too lazy to research and investigate for ourselves- joes" only care about the latest celebrity's doings, our jobs, or having enough money at the end of the week to get a couple of beers and watch our football-- ie: distractions.  That is how these laws get passed.           
       

More info:
Canadian Rights and Freedoms are at Risk, An Important Notice Regarding Bill C-51

On April 8th, 2008, the Canadian Minister of Health introduced Bill C-51 into the House of Commons. This Bill proposes significant changes to the current Food and Drugs Act that will have wide-ranging negative implications for Canadians.

Bill C-51 will:

· Remove democratic oversight, bypassing elected officials to vote in laws and allow bureaucrats to adopt laws from other countries without our consent.

· Remove 70% of Natural Health Products from Canadians and many others will be available by prescription only.

· Restrict research and development of safe natural alternatives in favor of high risk drugs.

· Punish Canadians with little or no opportunity for protection or recourse for simply speaking about or giving a natural product without the approval of government. More than 70% of people in Canada use a Natural Health Product. The new law goes so far as to warrant action against a person who would give another person an unapproved amount of garlic on the recommendation that it would improve that persons health.

Proposed New Enforcement Powers:

· Inspectors will enter private property without a warrant

· Inspectors will take your property at their discretion

· Inspectors will dispose of your property at will

· Inspectors will not reimburse you for your losses

· Inspectors will seize your bank accounts

· Inspectors will charge owners shipping and storage charges for seized property

· Inspectors will be empowered to store your property indefinitely

· Inspectors will levy fines of up to $5,000,000.00 and/or seek 2 years in jail per incident

With your assets and money under their control will you be able to defend yourself in Court?

Can you trust government with this new law and enforcement power?

Would our government really ever turn this law against us? Read the following account.

In 2003 Health Canada launched an attack on a group of mentally ill patients and the company who supported them naturally. They seized shipments of a safe natural therapy required by the patients and stormed the support center with 17 armed officers and agents. The company (Truehope) reported that they lost contact with more than 300 of their Canadian participants. The Canadian Mental Health Association told of suicides as a result of government action.

Health Canada then charged the not for profit company, burdening them with heavy legal costs. Truehope was found innocent by necessity and instructed by the judge to continue under legal and moral responsibility. Although the agents admitted knowing they were injuring people through their actions, they stated under oath they care only about policy and directive. And what happened to the more than 300 mentally ill Canadians that became unreachable? In the months and years following, reports of hospitalizations and suicides during the seizures have surfaced. No Health Canada agent has ever been charged.

Will this new law be used to abuse and punish special interest groups, minorities, religious groups or others?

Why do bureaucrats want to bypass the Parliament and approval to create new laws?

Why do bureaucrats want seizure warrants without judge approval?

With fines being increased a 1000 times, and seizing authority without a warrant, is Bill C-51 meant to bankrupt and silence its target audience?

Canada's Bill C-51:
An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts

Proposed legislation currently before Parliament could potentially have a major impact on natural health in Canada and restrict the choices Canadian people have when it comes to health products.

More info from Draft Discussion Paper - Legal Review by Shawn Buckley, president of the NHPPA:

What the Act does: the Act gives broad power and responsibility to Health Canada inspectors to force “regulated persons” to take whatever measures the inspectors deem necessary to ensure safety. I am troubled by this due to the following scenario developing:

1) Currently roughly 60% of natural health product license applications are failing. The majority of these license applications are for single ingredient products which are easier to license then multi-ingredient products. The percentage of failed license applications is expected to increase as more multi-ingredient product license applications are considered. My estimate is an overall failure rate of 70%. This means that over 60% of the natural health products on the market will fail the licensing process and will become illegal. At that point the manufacturer can willfully withdraw them from the market or Health Canada can take enforcement action;

2) the NHPD has been given more resources to process license applications which mean that the majority of the products will become illegal sooner rather than later;

3) Health Canada is currently going to universities to recruit university graduates as inspectors because Health Canada anticipates an increased need for enforcement, and

4) Bill C-51 gives inspectors new powers to force products off of the market.

Read Bill C-51 or download the print-version PDF .

• Contact your Member of Parliament.

• Read Mike Adams' C51 analysis at Natural News.

• Trojan Horse Legislation Sponsored by Big Pharma: "Canadians need to wake up and see what type of Bills that the Harper Conservative government is trying to introduce and bring into law in Canada."

• Canada's C-51: Trojan Horse Legislation Sponsored by Big Pharma -- Bill C-51 Unlawfully Suppresses Canadian Citizens' Rights and Freedoms -- Educate Yourself

Bill C-51 will:

• Remove democratic oversight, bypassing elected officials to vote in laws and allow bureaucrats to adopt laws from other countries without our consent.

• Remove 70% of Natural Health Products from Canadians and many others will be available by prescription only.

• Restrict research and development of safe natural alternatives in favor of high risk drugs.

• Punish Canadians with little or no opportunity for protection or recourse for simply speaking about or giving a natural product without the approval of government. More than 70% of people in Canada use a Natural Health Product. The new law goes so far as to warrant action against a person who would give another person an unapproved amount of garlic on the recommendation that it would improve that person’s health.

• It's your right to choose your health products and therapies -- Stop government from enforcing U.S. law and other jurisdictions upon Canadians without consent -- Stop C-51.