Bill C-52 - Canada Consumer Product Safety Act

April 30, 2008

As Canada’s circle of trading partners grows, the need for vigilance against unsafe products grows too. That is why the Conservative Government is acting to strengthen Canada’s product safety laws.

So what is the responsibility of government in the consumer market? Some think the market should operate unfettered by any regulation and some would like government to be in the market regulating all aspects of the market. I believe the role of government is to ensure consumer products should not pose a threat to human safety.

The Hazardous Products Act has not been updated since 1969. Our Conservative Government is getting things done to protect Canadian families. Our new legislation, Bill C-52, ‘Canada Consumer Product Safety Act’, will bring Canadian laws up to speed with the world.

Products that say “Made in Canada’ should be just that. Foreign imports should have rigorous standards and our trading partners must understand that their products need to comply with our rules.

When it comes to protecting consumers, the choice is clear. The Conservative Government is taking real action to keep Canadians safer.

The federal government will boost protection for Canadian consumers with a tough and comprehensive overhaul of food and product safety laws. The changes include a crack down on negligent manufacturers, importers and retailers who knowingly endanger their customers. Public access to information about product safety would also be improved, giving Canadians more control over their own health protection.

Highlights of the legislation include:
A general prohibition against the manufacture, importation, advertisement or sale of consumer products that are a danger to human health or safety;
A requirement of mandatory reporting by suppliers of serious product-related incidents – including near-misses and defects, allowing for more targeted oversight;
Dramatically increased fines for violations; and
A new power for the federal government to order recalls of unsafe consumer products.

Our government is delivering on the commitment we made in ‘The Speech from the Throne’ to build consumer confidence and better protect the health and well being of Canadians by tabling the new Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. These measures represent an extraordinarily tough and thorough new approach to consumer safety. Our aim is to prevent problems from occurring, targeting the highest risks, and responding rapidly to problems which occur.

Our Conservative Government will devote new resources to enhanced surveillance of products already on the market and introduce a requirement for manufacturers to report incidents causing illness or injury within seven days. We are also enhancing the Government’s ability to respond rapidly by introducing the power to recall consumer products, a power which has been in place for food for years.

Sixty-five percent of products sold in Canada are imported. We need to set and enforce state-of-the-art safety standards on both domestic and imported goods. Our government knows that the vast majority of Canadian manufacturers, importers, and sellers are conscientious corporate citizens that take their responsibilities for safety seriously. With Bill C-52, we will level the playing field for law-abiding Canadian businesses.

For those irresponsible few who do put consumers at risk, proposed fines will increase from the current maximum of $5,000 to a new maximum of up to $5M.

Budget 2008, which followed Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s announcement of Canada’s Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan in December 2007, invested $113M for the next two years to support the Action Plan.

When it comes to public safety, our Conservative Government will set safety standards that are in the interest of all Canadians. Our government is getting things done to protect Canadian families.

MP Colin Mayes, Okanagan-Shuswap