ACTION ALERT: Vitamin D, not SPP

March 28, 2008

As we noted in December 2007, the Globe and Mail has reported that, "The Canadian Pediatric Society...recently said pregnant women should consider taking 10 times more vitamin D than the government recommends. The Canadian Cancer Society...is advocating a dosage for all adults that is five times higher than the government guideline (but) Health Canada has a policy of harmonizing Canadian nutrition standards with those in the United States and...said it is committed to a joint review process with the Americans on vitamin D supplement levels. Because of its desire to have North American standards, Health Canada isn't budging from its current recommendation...Health Canada says it wants to study whether a standard for the vitamin is needed and is talking to the U.S. Department of Health about a formal review...Although Health Canada wants to start a review, it hasn't yet contacted the (Washington-based) Food and Nutrition Board to formally request such a study. Any review would cost an estimated $1-million, an amount the non-profit would have to get from the two governments before proceeding."

The newspaper has also reported that, "Vitamin D tests conducted on a group of University of Toronto students have found that virtually all non-whites had insufficient levels of the sunshine vitamin, putting them at elevated risk of debilitating diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer and diabetes. The research, which is awaiting publication in a medical journal, found that 100 per cent of those of African origin were short of vitamin D, as were 93 per cent of South Asians (those of Indian or Pakistani origin), and 85 per cent of East Asians (those of Chinese, Indochinese or Filipino origin, among other countries). The findings have alarmed the researchers, who say that if the results are typical of Canada's growing non-white population, the country could be facing a public health crisis...The results indicate that Canada may have to revise its vitamin D intake levels and increase awareness about the risk of deficiencies, particularly among non-whites."

For more information, please see our October 2007 post Taking the sun out of our lives.  

TAKE ACTION
Send an e-mail using the template below to Health Minister Tony Clement at both Clement.T@parl.gc.ca and Minister_Ministre@hc-sc.gc.ca to demand that he drop his ill-considered priority of harmonization of regulations with the United States - particularly given the approaching Security and Prosperity Partnership ‘Leaders Summit’ in New Orleans on April 21-22 - and instead focus on the health needs of Canadians.

Brent Patterson, Director of Campaigns, Organizing

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SEND YOUR LETTER NOW:

Subject
Recipients	Clement.T@parl.gc.ca; Minister_Ministre@hc-sc.gc.ca
Compose your letter in the box below.
Minister Clement, The Council of Canadians believes that the health of Canadians should supersede your government's apparent priority of the 'harmonization of regulations' with the United States. The Globe and Mail has reported that the Canadian Pediatric Society has said that pregnant women should consider taking 10 times more vitamin D than your government recommends, and the Canadian Cancer Society says all adults should take 5 times more than your guidelines. Yet, the priority of Health Canada has been to harmonize our nutrition standards with those of the United States in order to have common North American standards. This has been your approach despite the recommendations from these well respected health organizations and a recent University of Toronto study that found virtually all non-white Canadians had insufficient levels of vitamin D, increasing their likelihood of suffering from diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer and diabetes. Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow has written about a Trilateral Cooperation Charter between Canada, the United States and Mexico which seeks to harmonize positions on drugs and nutrition, as well as a Health Canada-US Consumer Product Safety Commission memorandum of understanding to set common standards on public health. As far back as June 2007, Health Canada acknowledged that there is a "growing body of evidence on the role of vitamin D in relation to health." At that time, your department stated, "Before Health Canada can issue a revised recommendation concerning vitamin D, a comprehensive review that looks at both benefits and safety needs to be undertaken." By October 2007, the Globe and Mail reported that the review had not started, and that Health Canada had not even contacted the Washington-based Food and Nutrition Board to even start such a study. I join with the Council of Canadians in demanding that you put the health interests of Canadians first, and that you abandon your 'deep integration' agenda through the Security and Prosperity Partnership and other such agreements with the United States. Sincerely,
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