Minister of Health Attends Inaugural Meeting of the Advisory Council on Traditional Chinese Medicines - New engagement with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Community

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July 18, 2012
For immediate release

Factsheet: Advisory Council on Traditional Chinese Medicines - List of Council Members

TORONTO - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, along with Parliamentary Secretary, Colin Carrie, today attended the inaugural meeting of the Advisory Council on Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs).

"This first meeting of the Advisory Council on Traditional Chinese Medicines marks the beginning of a new way of engaging with the TCM community of practitioners and consumers," said Minister Aglukkaq. "As more Canadians embrace traditional Chinese products, this council enables us to hear directly from key stakeholders, about how we can make sure that Canadians have access to a wide range of safe and effective options."   

The mandate of the Council is to provide Federal Government with advice on current and emerging issues related to Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs), such as the importation, sale, and use of TCMs in Canada, including novel TCMs.

"I am confident that this new council will provide a valuable link to Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, manufacturers and retailers, and provide a forum for sharing information with Health Canada in this field," said Parliamentary Secretary Colin Carrie.

More than 1,400 TCMs are currently authorized for sale in Canada. Recognizing their unique nature, roundtable discussions were also held in Vancouver and Toronto in the fall of 2011 to hear the TCM community's view on the regulation of these products in Canada.

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