Backgrounder: Traditional Chinese Medicine - Advisory Committee

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Also available in Chinese

January 2012

News Release: Harper Government Creates Advisory Committee on Traditional Chinese Medicines

The Government of Canada recognizes the unique nature of Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) and wants to hear the TCM community's views. Roundtable discussions were held in Vancouver and Toronto in the fall of 2011 with TCM stakeholders and community leaders.

As an outcome of those discussions, Minister Aglukkaq called for the establishment of an Advisory Committee in December 2011 to provide a single window for TCM community members to interact with Health Canada and bring their views forward. The call to create the Committee was done in recognition of the unique characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicines and to acknowledge the TCM community's concern about the appropriateness of the "western" medical model for Traditional Chinese Medicines.

The mandate of the new Committee is to provide Health Canada's Natural Health Products Program Directorates with views, feedback, and advice on current and emerging issues related to Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs), including:

• the importation, sale, and use of TCMs in Canada;
• the practice of TCM in Canada, recognizing this is subject to provincial jurisdiction; and
• novel TCMs.

More than 1, 400 Traditional Chinese Medicines are currently available for sale in Canada.

The structure and mandate of the Committee are intended to support advice that is based on broad input. Consideration will be given to common objectives, shared responsibility and accountability for assuring that Canadians have ready access to natural health products that safe, effective and of high quality.

Potential members have been identified from a cross-representation of key stakeholder groups including, industry, consumer, patient, health care professional, academic and government organizations, as appropriate.