'The World’s Greatest Health Van' Travels to Ottawa: 150,000 Canadians Call for The Charter of Health Freedom
OTTAWA, Ontario, Oct. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shawn Buckley, President of the Natural Health Product Protection Association (NHPPA), is on the road — destination Parliament Hill, Ottawa. His main purpose is to deliver a message on behalf of thousands of Canadians: We want better access to natural health products.
Upon arrival in Ottawa, Mr. Buckley is delivering to members of Parliament a document called The Charter of Health Freedom ('The Health Charter'), which he describes as “a citizen initiative to ensure fair and balanced regulation of basic nutrients and natural remedies. The benefits must be maximized, and the risks minimized.”
Along with 'The Health Charter', he is also delivering the third-largest paper petition in Canadian history, signed by more than 150,000 citizens from coast to coast.
Delivering the Charter in Ottawa will be the culmination of a cross-Canada road trip, starting October 4th in Victoria, British Columbia, with multiple stops in cities including Whitehorse, Grande Prairie, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Barrie, Quebec City, Fredericton and Charlottetown, ending in a ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on October 25th.
Each stop on 'The Health Charter Tour' is an opportunity for Shawn and his team to present 'The World's Greatest Health Show', a series of talks and interviews, whose major component is the chance for Canadians to share their concerns, experiences, and hopes. Mr. Buckley says that the experience of speaking to so many Canadians has done nothing but confirm why he is making the journey to Ottawa.
“We have learned during 'The Health Charter Tour' and 'The World's Greatest Health Show' that we need essential nutrients to be healthy. These nutrients are no longer in our food. We must supplement to be healthy. It’s not voodoo or magic; everything is based on science. Rather than have to fight for access to our nutrients, our access to them should be protected and promoted. This is the primary purpose of 'The Health Charter' — to protect and promote our access to vital nutrients.”
“Canadians are getting tired of having to fight for nutrients necessary for health. Canadians are getting tired of having to fight to access natural remedies. We need to have an honest dialogue on health policy where the question asked is: How do we get the best health outcomes?”
“The nation has been shocked by personal stories of Canadians facing death or experiencing disability in the government-funded health-care system. They have been restored to health by natural remedies. Their message to Ottawa is: Protect and promote our access to nutrition and vital nutrients.”
“The censorship of truthful health information must end. Canadians cannot make informed health decisions without all information available for treatments. Our law needs to be that all information about treatments be available to Canadians.”
According to Health Canada, 71 per cent of Canadians are users of natural health products — vitamins and minerals, herbal products, and homeopathic medicines. This represents roughly 28 million people.
“The fact that this many Canadians are facing multiple challenges in gaining proper access to the products that they need, should be a major news story,” says Buckley.
“The lack of media attention is telling. Press releases that we have sent, along with those sent by citizens, have received virtually no coverage. Think about it: citizens have banded together to draft a law to protect and promote access to vital nutrients and remedies. This should be news. Presenting the third-largest paper petition in Canadian history should be news. The 'Health Charter Tour' and 'The Worlds Greatest Health Show', which we’ve been presenting at every stop across Canada, is the largest of its kind in the world, and the first to share personal stories. This should be news.”
The concerns of millions of Canadians — and taking their message to Ottawa — is a serious undertaking for Mr. Buckley. But the entire venture is not without its lighthearted moments: Perhaps as a tip of the cap to the “hippies” who were instrumental in establishing the natural health movement in the 1960s and 1970s, Shawn is driving across Canada in an old-school Volkswagen bus, known affectionately as 'The World’s Greatest Health Van'. It just felt fitting and appropriate.
Those hippies who started the movement could have never imagined that one day more than 70 per cent of Canadians would be using the products that they introduced. Shawn Buckley is intent on protecting what was started and ensuring that Canadians have better access to natural health products.
To contact Shawn Buckley, please email media@nhppa.org
For more information about the Health Charter Tour and The World's Greatest Health Show, visit nhppa.org/health-charter-tour
For more information about The Health Charter, visit www.charterofhealthfreedom.org
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b630f001-4618-46b3-aa86-a76f04d044c3
Shawn and Van in Collingwood
Shawn Buckley Loads Petitions Into the Van
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