People who fear that proposed changes to the Food and Drugs Act will lead to tighter restrictions on natural health products will gather for a protest at Queen's Park in Toronto this weekend.
Saturday's demonstration will follow rallies held on Thursday and Friday in other cities across the country.
Opposition to Bill C-51, which proposes changes to language within the Act, is mainly coming from those who fear it will make it harder for consumers to purchase natural health products.
The bill was put before Parliament on April 8, and is an attempt by the government to update regulations for food, drugs and cosmetics and includes "medical devices, drugs, cells, tissues, organs, vaccines and veterinary drugs, as well as natural health products," Health Canada spokesperson Paul Duchesne told CTV.ca.
One main point of contention is that the word "drug" would change to "therapeutic product." That will fold vitamins, supplements and herbal products into the same category as prescription medications.
Julie Daniluk, co-owner of health-food store The Big Carrot in Toronto and a co-organizer of the Queen's Park protest, said that natural products should not be lumped together with either food or drugs.
"We have to stop ignoring that supplements really are in their own class because they're far more powerful than a food because they are highly concentrated, but they don't have the same danger of a drug," Daniluk told CTV.ca.
"So therefore to treat them like a drug is to restrict their access, and to treat them like a food is to really not protect Canadians because they are very strong and they do need to be labeled and we do need to make sure that what it says on the label is in the bottle."
Duchesne said the bill is not targeting natural health products.
"Bill C-51 is not focused on natural health products and will not affect the manner in which these products are regulated in Canada," Duchesne told CTV.ca.
"The Natural Health Products Regulations will continue to operate under the proposed Bill C-51 and will complement current policies for natural health products."
Vitamins not threatened, gov't says
The bill's critics fear that if they were to fall under the same regulations as drugs, natural products would only be available by prescription. Naturopathic doctors and other holistic practitioners do not write prescriptions, and could be prevented from distributing products such as vitamins and supplements.
Lisa Petty, a wellness coach and author, said that naturopaths help their patients maintain overall good health by addressing ailments that are caused by such problems as vitamin deficiencies.
"At a time when our medical system is overburdened and we don't have enough doctors and we have waiting lists, the government should be working toward encouraging preventive health and this Bill seems to be slapping a lid on it instead," Petty said.
However, Duchesne said this is not the case.
"Under Bill C-51, Canadians will continue to have access to natural health products that are safe, effective and of high quality. The Bill will not limit access to natural health products nor does it call for a change in their regulatory status (from over-the-counter to prescription)."
Daniluk is also concerned that the wording of the bill is so vague that it's not clear which natural products will fall under the "therapeutic product" banner.
"We just feel that it's very important to have much more specific language so that it's carefully worded to protect the usage of those supplements that are not at high risk," Daniluk said.
"We are saying that supplements that have been used for hundreds of years and have demonstrated very little side effects should be available and not necessarily lumped in with the other products listed in this 'therapeutic product' category."
Petty and Daniluk are also worried that the Bill has made it through its first and second readings within about a month's time, which has restricted the public's ability to learn about its potential ramifications.
"There hasn't been any time for Canadians to get involved to find out what the bill entails," Petty said.
"Nobody's had time for sober reflection, nobody's had time to figure out how they want to proceed."
