As predicted by ihr (see analysis in forthcoming edition), the Harper government is trying for the third time to pass a consumer safety bill. How this affects the natural health industry remains to be seen. ihr will report in detail on this legislation and the views of affected groups, associations and individuals
Government to Introduce New Consumer Health Safety Legislation
Feds reintroducing consumer protection legislation
By BRYN WEESE, Parliamentary Bureau
Last Updated: June 7, 2010 4:10pm
OTTAWA - The government is reintroducing consumer protection legislation that would give it more power to keep unsafe products off the shelves and get tough on manufacturers who break the rules.
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said Monday she will introduce the new consumer protection laws in a few days.
"The Canadian Product Safety Law is now over 40 years old. We need to do more to update and improve this law to help protect our families from harmful products," Aglukkaq said at Health Canada's consumer protection labs.
"With the growth of global trade, we are seeing new products and technologies entering the Canadian marketplace," she added. "Some products are made in Canada and some are not.
"Canadian families need to have the confidence that the products they buy are safe."
The government first tried to pass stricter consumer protection laws last year and although Bill C6 was passed unanimously in the House of Commons, the Senate proposed a series of amendments the government did not agree with and consumer advocates warned watered the new bill down too much.
Ultimately, the bill was killed when Prime Minister Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament in December.
If passed, the new laws will create a mandatory reporting regime for retailers and manufacturers to report safety incidents concerning specific products, similar to the United States and European Union, and would allow the government to order mandatory recalls.
"The outdated legislation means that when Health Canada determines a product is unsafe, we still have to rely on the supplier to voluntarily pull it off the store shelves," Aglukkaq said, warning part of the problem is “fly-by-night” manufacturers who aren't responsible.
According to government estimates, one-third of Canadians bought or had in their homes last year products deemed unsafe by Health Canada. Of those, one-third are products for children.
In 2009, Health Canada asked manufacturers and retailers to recall more than 300 products that were deemed unsafe, including nearly one million drop-side cribs by B.C.-based Stork Crafts Manufacturing.
bryn.weese@sunmedia.ca
View Original Article Here:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment