Protesters came out to help put a stop to Bill C-51.  The proposed legislation is before The House of Commons. It's designed to regulate health supplements, which could keep some off of the market. 

If that happens, Maureen Boyd is afraid her son, 13 year old Lucas will suffer. Right now, he is taking supplements to treat bouts of depression and anxiety.
"This bill is threatening to take this supplement away from us," says Boyd. "To take away the change that my son has now experienced."
Protesters at the rally say they feel they will be forced to rely on pharmaceuticals. 
"I've been doing herbs all my life, I don't do drugs, I don't do pharmaceuticals," said one of the protesters. "My rights are being taken away."

The purpose of Bill C-51 is to ensure supplements are safe before they are put on the market.
Dr. Bruce Hoffman of the Hoffman Centre for Integrative Medicine prescribes both pharmaceutical drugs and natural supplements. He says natural medicines in some cases are safer than pharmaceuticals.

"There are no identifiable deaths from herbs or vitamins or minerals that we know of from the health care industry," says Dr. Hoffman. 
Organizers of the protest against Bill C-51 say if it were to pass, up to 70% of supplements would be illegal. 
Boyd's son Lucas says he hopes it doesn't get that far, because he doesn't want to revert back to using prescribed drugs.
"They just had really bad side affects, some of them made me feel sick," says Boyd. 

For the story on the rally, see this video clip.