okay ladies this is VERY important! the canadain governament has created a bill known as bill C-51. the short and short of it is, that the government basically wants to stop natural medicines, and what not. PLEASE VOTE AGIANST PASSING THIS BILL. the public/ citizens doesn't have a fair say, the government wants to basically back-door this bill without the public knowing about it! so they have set up web sites.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/StopC51

they need 111,111 signatures and they only have about 16,000! it doesn't matter where you live or what country, PLEASE sign the petition!

this could mean the end of health food stores, products, medicines foods, ect

and i really would like to continue my N.B.E don't you?

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SIGN!!!!!!!!!

please let me know if you signed, it would give me peace of mind, thanks

signed it ... hope this petition gets enough signatures.

I found an article about this in the star, a fairly liberal newspaper.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/StopC51

It doesn't seem as bad as the petition website is portraying it. Could it be overblown??

I had already signed this. Tell everyone you know that benefits from natural remedies. I think every canadian on this site would want to sign this because NBE would be over for us. I take other things for my health which I can now say is pretty good thanks to herbs and superfoods. With out them, I'm done. Please sign, and tell people, and email your MP while you're at it. Here's a site that tells who who yours would be based on your postal code.

http://www.stopc51.com/c51/what_you_can_do.asp

they make it sound as though it's not that bad, as though it may actuall y be a good thing, but the truth is waay dirtier.

the government, both canadian and american have been trying to ban natural medicine, products ect. the more popularity natural things get the less money the pharmacutical companies get, which means the less money the government makes.

everytime they make these bills they re-write it so that they can make it sound harmless but in reality they are taking away our free right to chose for ourselves. canada is supposed to be a democratic counrty, if a country can do this to it's citizens, is it really that great of a country? i hate questioning my country, but they keep doing things like this that benefit no one but the politicians who's money bags are getting fuller.

I am Canadian, I signed, and I have to say its a bunch of crap, just one more thing they are trying to screw us over on. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Probably too little too late though, once they decide something its usually already out of our hands.

yeah, it's so true, you gotta wonder what the next thing they're gonna do is????

i keep hoping that we can prevent this from going through

It's hard to know what the effect of this bill would actually be. It gives the government power to ban any therapeutic product at will, but there's no way of knowing how the government or any future government will choose to exercise that power.
The concern of people about this bill may be overblown and in practice it may make very little difference, as very few things may actually get banned, but on the other hand the power it gives the government to immediately ban anything that it suits them to ban does mean that there's bound to be a concern about this increase in government power and their ability to decide for everyone what products they can and cannot take.
I noticed a specific reference in the bill to cells, tissues and organs, which is an area that the government specifically wants the power to ban, so I would assume from this specific inclusion in the bill that substances such as bovine ovary could be prohibited. There isn't much said about herbs though, so I really don't think that many herbs are in danger of being banned.
I think the real problem with this bill is not that all natural products are now going to be banned, or that most of them will be banned, but that the government's powers are increased so that any of them COULD be banned. As I said at the outset, it's hard to know what the effect of this bill would actually be, as there's really no way of knowing how the goverment would exercise their new powers. Just because the government would appear to be getting the power to ban natural products it does not follow that this is exactly what they intend to do.
Opposition to this bill needs to be based on the opposition to increased government power rather than opposition to what the government would do with this power, as we don't yet know what they would do. Maybe they won't actually do that much, making the perceived dangers of this bill appearing to be overblown.
I don't think it helps that the health minister presenting this bill is apparently a big player himself in the pharmceutical industry, as this only makes people all the more suspicious about the real reasons for the bill. Since many people already suspect that a bill of this nature is designed to help the drug industry, as banning natural products inevitably would help drug companies, the fact that the health minister is himself very financially involved in the pharma business really doesn't help matters.

I'm already having a hard time getting fennel. I had to order online because the local stores are already having a hard time getting stuff and they gave me the last 4 bottles - Canadian site. I wonder if we can still get herbs on the internet through the mail if the bill passes? Y'all know they'll push the bill through without listening to the petition. You need to contact your local MP, they are the ones voting on the bill not us.

I signed it and sent it to alot of people in my address book. I live in the U.S. but I still think it's important for people in other countries to have the right to choose what they want to put in thier own bodies! I hope it doesn't pass :(

thanks for signing! i hope alot more poepel do, they still need to many more signatures! and i think it's GREAT that those in other countries are signing it as well, it really makes a statement.

If this passes in Canada we in US are next. I think they are taking a closer look at herbs and considering them a threat now that people have learned they can cure cancer and all sorts of things. They fear if word gets out then they won't make as many multi-billions by nearly killing us with their so called cures. They have already tried their darnedest to hide the facts and make them hard to find.

Totally agree with Kieyah!!!
Singed hubby up, too.

Brilliant post, protect what should be a rightful inheritance of herbal lore!

I've certainly signed for you all; living in the UK, I believe that there has been talk of the same happening here; safe herbal healing is a freedom which, now I have discovered it, I do not plan to revoke.

The best of luck xXx

there was something about it earlier last year in the USA but they got a HUGE amount of people to sign a petition lol, i signed a couple times, i'm worried we may not have enough this time, arrg, stupid politicians, they should spend their time raising the minimum wage instead of screwing around with our health, freedome, and rights!

In answer to littlelibrarian, no you wouldn't be able to buy any banned substance on the internet, because the importation of the substance would also be banned (of course the supplier might wite something else on the label in order to get it past the Canadian customs).

I think this is similiar to what Australia already has - the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

http://www.tga.gov.au/index.htm

So far, the only thing I can't get into the country because of TGA is Yohimburn.

I think Jelly has mentioned that BO is outlawed - however I think that's to do with customs not TGA.

Not sure what Canada's regulation would be like - didn't they ban Vegemite??

sorry my mistake, I think it was the US that banned vegemite...

lol, i'm not trying to be rude, but vegemite is NASTY! lol, my sister brought some back home when she went to australia, it was sooo gross, lol :) but then everyone has a different sence of taste. :)

do all australians eat vegemite? i heard it's some kind of delicacy or something.

I think the banning of vegemite is a modern legend. In truth it has never been banned anywhere.

My 3 year old would be severely depressed without Vegemite, it's his favourite food. Guess you have to be an Aussie to appreciate it, but a lot of us have just grown up with it !!!!!

Eve made a very good post there. From what I read, I can say I don't like this bill at all, but I have to point out that on-line petitions have no power and no use whatsoever.
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/internet.asp

Hey May

I hope you didn't eat the vegemite straight up - cause that would be quite intense!

Toast with butter and vegemite is a good combo, as is the addition of cheese.

I guess it's an acquired taste, not sure that it's a delicacy though, it's probably as common as peanut butter.

I say, give it another go if you have the chance! :)

LOL, yeah i did, right out of the container on a spoon, hahaha, no wonder it was so bad, hahaha.