C-368An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (natural health products)
Private member's bill, introduced in the House of Commons on December 5, 2023
- Status
- At report stage in the House of Commons since December 2, 2024
What it does
Excludes most natural health products from the Food and Drugs Act's therapeutic product definition, except nicotine replacement therapy products, and keeps some recall and penalty rules in place.
What it does
- Redefines “therapeutic product” to mean a drug, a device, a mix of drugs and devices, or a natural health product that contains nicotine or its salts and is used in nicotine replacement therapy.
- Adds a rule saying certain Food and Drugs Act monitoring and enforcement sections still apply to natural health products, despite the new definition.
- Adds regulation-making power for natural health product recalls and for penalties when certain natural health product rules are broken.
- Repeals section 21.321 and subsection 21.8(2) of the Food and Drugs Act.
- Bars new or continuing prosecutions for offences under sections 31.2 or 31.4 involving natural health products, if they happened after section 500 of the Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1 came into force and before this Act takes effect.
Who it affects
- Natural health product companies
- Importers of natural health products
- Retailers of natural health products
- People using nicotine replacement products
- Federal drug regulators
Background
The bill changes the Food and Drugs Act's definition of therapeutic product. It keeps nicotine replacement therapy products in that definition, but removes most other natural health products.
Where it is
House of Commons
First reading
Completed.
Second reading
Completed.
Committee
Completed.
Report stage
Current stage. Now here
Third reading
Not reached.
Senate
First reading
Not reached.
Second reading
Not reached.
Committee
Not reached.
Third reading
Not reached.
Royal assent
Royal assent
Not reached.
Introduced by an MP who is not a minister. These bills compete in a lottery for debate time, and most do not become law. How a bill becomes law
How the House voted
2nd reading of Bill C-368, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (natural health products)
Vote 789,
Passed
171 yeato146 nay · 8 paired
Party breakdown for vote 789 Party Position Yea Nay Did not vote Liberal Nay 0 146 10 Conservative Yea 116 0 2 Bloc Yea 27 0 5 NDP Yea 24 0 0 Green Yea 2 0 0 Independent Yea 2 0 1 Total 171 146
What MPs said
Each party’s first speech on this bill in the House, from Hansard. Excerpts are the speaker’s opening sentences, unedited.
LiberalMajid Jowhari· April 29, 2024
“Bill C-368 would remove the government's ability to ensure the safety and the efficacy of these crucial health products. Passing this bill would mean that the government could mandate the recall of a tube of lipstick or a head of lettuce, but not a contaminated supplement.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caConservativeBlaine Calkins· April 29, 2024
“However, somebody snuck a few clauses into the bill that changed the definition of “natural health products” to be the same as that of therapeutic products, such as drugs that require a prescription and have a drug identification number. That is the problem.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caBlocLuc Thériault· April 29, 2024
“The Bloc Québécois will indeed vote in favour of the bill.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caNDPPeter Julian· April 29, 2024
“We support Bill C-368 for a number of reasons. I want to start by saying that, as are over 70% of Canadians, I am a consumer of natural health products.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.ca
Read the source
LEGISinfo status: At report stage in the House of Commons. Bill data from LEGISinfo, votes from openparliament.ca and the House of Commons. Last updated October 13, 2026.