HFA Leads the Fight to Protect NHP with the Save Our Supplements Campaign
Timeline of key moments during SOS:
- 2023 – Budget 2023: Non-budgetary matter of Vanessa’s Law was added to the Appendix of the Proposed Budget for 2023 (Bill C-47)
- 2023 – First Proposal for Cost Recovery Kicks off the Save our Supplements campaign 2023/ 2024. Over one million SOS postcards were mailed to Members of Parliament
- 2023 – First reading of Bill C-368 (December)
- 2024 – Budget 2024: Bill C-69 introduces "precision regulating" for therapeutic products, including NHPs thanks to Bill C-47
- 2024 – Launch of the SOS within the Traditional Chinese Medicine community in Canada
- 2024 – Second Cost Recovery proposal is released
- 2025 – April elections meant Bill C-368 died on the order paper, never passing third reading
- 2025 – Ministerial order used to delay labelling requirements from June 2025 to 2028
- 2025 – CHFA’s first meeting with the Minister of Health’s Senior Policy Advisor
- 2025 – Red Tape Reduction Report refers to NHPs and references a registration pathway
- 2025 – Start of several round tables with newly elected MP’s
- 2025 – First reading of Bill C-224
- 2025 – CHFA’s Hill Day sees a record number of MP meetings with Government and Opposition
- 2025 – A new GMP guidance is published, will be in force in March 2026 2025 – CUSMA consultation opens. CHFA joined a lobbying mission for CUSMA in Washington, D.C.
Many Wins for NHP Community
With the strong advocacy and collaboration from members, partners and NHPs consumers, CHFA was able to achieve several important wins:
Labelling Requirements Exemption:
- Health Canada announced a Notice of intent to publish a Ministerial Order that will temporarily exempt certain natural health products (NHPs) from the new labelling requirements from June 2025 to June 2028.
- Health Canada is now reassessing its approach and consulting with regulators, consumer groups, and health professionals to find a more sustainable path forward. Discussions on this topic are ongoing with the Department.
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NHPs Included in Red Tape Reduction
- NHPs have been included in Health Canada’s Red Tape Reduction initiative. Planned amendments include more flexible labelling requirements and fewer pre-market authorization steps.
- You can read the full report here.
Bill C-224
- Introduced in 2025, Bill C-224 (An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act – natural health products) seeks to clarify that Natural Health Products (NHPs) are not therapeutic products such as drugs or medical devices.
- The Bill aims to restore the original intent of Canada’s Natural Health Product Regulations, ensuring NHPs are regulated proportionately to their low-risk profile.
- If passed, Bill C-224 would remove NHPs from the definition of “therapeutic products” established through the 2023 Budget Bill C-47.
- CHFA strongly supports Bill C-224 as a step towards fair, risk-based legislation, and continues to advocate for cross-party support.
- This initiative reinforces that NHPs are not drugs and must be regulated in a way that preserves freedom of choice for Canadians.
Cost Recovery on Pause:
- The Cost Recovery proposal has not yet been published in Canada Gazette, Part II, and is not moving forward in December 2025.
- Although there is no official notification, Health Canada has confirmed that the initiative is paused until Health Canada reforms the framework in coordination with the Red Tape Reduction efforts.
- We know how important this issue is for our industry. CHFA is monitoring it closely and will provide updates as soon as new information becomes available.
CHFA Continues to Engage with Policymakers: The fight isn’t over yet.
CHFA continues to make important progress through ongoing engagement with policymakers — but significant challenges remain. While we have had constructive discussions with the Minister of Health’s policy team and the Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD), the government is still advancing regulatory changes that would add new costs, red tape, and administrative burden for compliant Canadian companies.
If implemented as originally proposed, these measures would put Canadian-made natural health products at a major competitive disadvantage, while foreign products continue to flow freely across the border under the 90-day import allowance. This growing imbalance threatens Canadian innovation, jobs, and consumer access to trusted products.
CHFA continues to push for practical, risk-based reform that supports both consumer safety and industry competitiveness, including:
- Recognizing that NHPs are not drugs and should be regulated according to their low-risk nature.
- Improving Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to ensure product safety.
- Introducing a streamlined registration pathway that accelerates market access and innovation.
- Protecting NHP product monographs to maintain clarity and support evidence-based claims.
Through regular MP meetings, committee presentations, domestic and international consultations, and cross-party roundtables, CHFA remains committed to ensuring that regulatory reform keeps pace with global markets and protects Canadian consumer choice.
We will continue to lead these efforts on behalf of our members, partners, and the Canadians we serve.
Call to Action:
Help us protect the future of Canada’s NHP industry. Share your story, connect with your local MP, and make your voice heard. Together, we can ensure fair regulation, protect consumer choice, and keep Canadian products competitive.