C-224 (45-1) - An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (natural health products)
Chamber
commons
Stage
2nd Reading
Introduced
Sep 18, 2025
Progress
This bill removes natural health products from the same regulatory oversight applied to drugs and therapeutic products under the Food and Drugs Act.
Key Changes
- Removes natural health products from the definition of 'therapeutic product' in the Food and Drugs Act
- Repeals two sections of the Food and Drugs Act that applied the therapeutic product monitoring regime to natural health products
- Cancels any legal proceedings started against natural health product companies for offences committed under the 2023 rules before this bill passes
- Keeps nicotine replacement therapy products (containing nicotine or its salts) classified as therapeutic products
- Returns natural health products to being regulated solely under the Natural Health Products Regulations rather than drug oversight rules
Gotchas
- The transitional provision retroactively shields natural health product companies from prosecution for offences committed under rules introduced in 2023, which may raise concerns about accountability for any violations during that period.
- Nicotine replacement therapy products are explicitly carved out and remain subject to therapeutic product oversight, creating a distinction within the natural health product category.
- This bill effectively reverses a regulatory tightening introduced through the 2023 federal budget, meaning the change was originally made without a standalone bill and is now being undone through a private member's bill.
- Natural health products would still be regulated, but under the less stringent Natural Health Products Regulations rather than the drug monitoring framework — the difference in oversight stringency is not detailed in the bill itself.
Who's Affected
- Natural health product manufacturers and sellers
- Consumers who use vitamins, supplements, and herbal remedies
- Health Canada regulators
- Pharmacies and retailers selling natural health products
- Companies that were facing legal proceedings under the 2023 rules
Vibes
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Gotchas
- The transitional provision retroactively shields natural health product companies from prosecution for offences committed under rules introduced in 2023, which may raise concerns about accountability for any violations during that period.
- Nicotine replacement therapy products are explicitly carved out and remain subject to therapeutic product oversight, creating a distinction within the natural health product category.
- This bill effectively reverses a regulatory tightening introduced through the 2023 federal budget, meaning the change was originally made without a standalone bill and is now being undone through a private member's bill.
- Natural health products would still be regulated, but under the less stringent Natural Health Products Regulations rather than the drug monitoring framework — the difference in oversight stringency is not detailed in the bill itself.
Summary
Bill C-224 amends the Food and Drugs Act to clarify that natural health products (like vitamins, herbal remedies, and supplements) are not considered 'therapeutic products' under the law. This means they would no longer be subject to the stricter monitoring and oversight rules that apply to pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices. The bill was introduced in response to changes made by the Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1, which brought natural health products under the therapeutic product monitoring regime. This bill would reverse that change, treating natural health products as a separate category with their own existing regulatory framework under the Natural Health Products Regulations. The bill also includes a transitional provision that cancels any legal proceedings that may have been started against natural health product sellers or manufacturers for offences that occurred after the 2023 budget law came into force and before this new bill takes effect. One exception is kept: nicotine replacement therapy products (like nicotine patches or gum) would still be treated as therapeutic products.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
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