Library of Parliament Legislative Summary of Bill C-36 on Consumer Product Safety

The Library of Parliament recently released a Legislative Summary of Bill C-36: An Act respecting the safety of consumer products:

"Bill C-36, An Act respecting the safety of consumer products (short title: the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act or CCPSA) was introduced in the House of Commons by the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, on 9 June 2010. Bill C-36 is very similar to Bill C-52, An Act respecting the safety of consumer products, which was introduced in the House of Commons during the 2^nd Session of the 39^th Parliament, and Bill C-6, An Act respecting the safety of consumer products, which was introduced in the House of Commons during the 2^nd Session of the 40^th Parliament. Bill C-52 had received second reading in the House of Commons and had been referred to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health when it died on the Order Paper as a result of the dissolution of the 39^th Parliament. Bill C-6 also died on the Order Paper when the 2^nd Session of the 40^th Parliament was prorogued. At prorogation, the House of Commons had yet to consider amendments made to Bill C-6 by the Senate."

"Bill C-36 is designed to repeal and replace Part I of the Hazardous Products Act, creating a new system to regulate consumer products that pose, or might reasonably be expected to pose, a danger to human health and safety. The bill:

• prohibits the sale, manufacture, import and advertisement of certain listed products and provides for testing and evaluation of consumer products;
• makes it mandatory for manufacturers, importers, and sellers of consumer products to report dangerous incidents associated with these products to the Minister of Health;
• obliges manufacturers, importers and sellers of consumer products to report product or labelling defects that result, or might reasonably be expected to result, in death or serious adverse effects on health, including serious injury, to the Minister of Health;
• requires manufacturers, importers and sellers of consumer products to report recalls of consumer products initiated by governments and government institutions in Canada or elsewhere to the Minister of Health;
• provides for the inspection and seizure of consumer products for the purpose of verifying compliance or non-compliance with the bill's provisions;
• empowers the federal government to institute interim and permanent recalls of products that pose, or might reasonably be expected to pose, a danger to human health or safety; and
• establishes both criminal and administrative penalties for those who violate the CCPSA or orders made under it."