June 11, 2010

OTTAWA – MP Cheryl Gallant, MP Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, this week helped the Government of Canada to introduce a tough new Bill to beef up Canada’s out-of-date product safety laws and deliver stronger, more effective protection for Canadian consumers and their families. The proposed Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) introduced this afternoon in the House of Commons by the Conservative Government in Ottawa.

“As a Government member, I am listened to when I bring forward the concerns of consumers and parents alike. People need to be confident that the products they buy will be safe for them and their children,” said MP Cheryl Gallant. “People need to know that when they bring their concerns forward, their MP has some actual influence to get something done.”

“Our Government has proposed a solution that has the strong support of major Canadian children’s organizations, consumer advocacy groups and other key stakeholders who share the conviction that Canadians need better protection from unsafe consumer products.”

The new proposed Canada Consumer Product Safety Act would improve consumer product safety with action that includes:

• Prohibiting the manufacturing, importing, marketing or selling of any consumer products deemed or proven unsafe to human health or safety;
• Requiring industry to quickly inform the government when they discover one of their products is linked to a serious incident, death, or product safety issue;
• Requiring manufacturers or importers to provide test/study results on products when asked;
• Empowering Health Canada to recall unreasonably dangerous consumer products; and
• Making it an offence to package or label consumer products that make false or deceptive health or safety claims.

The proposed Canada Consumer Product Safety Act builds on Bill C-6, which the Government previously introduced, and takes into account concerns raised by Government MPs like Cheryl Gallant.

“It is a fact that much of the important work of Parliament takes place in party caucus with your fellow party MPs. As an effective leader, Prime Minister Stephen Harper gives all government MPs a loud and actual voice, particularly when we decide policy to benefit all Canadians. That confidence of the Prime Minister in his government MP gives local people a voice in government,” concluded Cheryl Gallant, MP.