MP Blaine Calkins - Parliament Hill Event | Health Charter Tour

A short address by MP Blaine Calkins recorded during the Parliament Hill event of the Health Charter Tour, following the official handoff of the Charter of Health Freedom paper petitions by Shawn Buckley. MP Calkins accepts over 150,000 handwritten signatures, noting that additional petitions were still arriving by mail, bringing the total well beyond that number. He thanks volunteers and advocates across Canada for their sustained efforts to protect access to natural health products and reflects on his nearly two decades in Parliament, emphasizing that this issue has returned due to recent legislative changes. MP Calkins explains that Bill C-47 redefined natural health products without meaningful debate, prompting widespread public response. He describes drafting a private member’s bill to restore the previous definition of natural health products, drawing on personal experience as a regular user and highlighting the absurdity of regulating vitamins such as vitamin D in the same manner as chemotherapy drugs. He outlines the parliamentary process ahead, stresses the importance of continued public pressure across party lines in a minority Parliament, and commits to tabling and advancing the bill as a matter of common sense, affordability, and Canadians’ right to care for their own health. Learn more about the NHPPA’s cross-Canada tour and the Charter of Health Freedom at nhppa.org/join-the-tour/. Subscribe to our free newsletter to stay informed about how you can educate and activate your community: https://nhppa.org/subscribe/