Harper Government Puts Consumers First - Yahoo FinanceOTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Dec 24, 2013) ...

1. Harper Government Puts Consumers First - Yahoo Finance
Harper Government Puts Consumers First - Yahoo Finance
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Dec 24, 2013) -The Government of Canada launched many new
initiatives in 2013 to better protect Canadian consumers from dangerous products and unfair
practices in the marketplace.
"Canadians expect the foods they eat, the health products they take and the consumer products they
use to be safe," said Health Minister Rona Ambrose. "I'm extremely proud to be able to highlight
some of the work our Government did this past year to strengthen the safeguards we have in place
to deal with all types of unsafe products."
"Canadian families work hard to make ends meet and every dollar counts, that is why our
Government places consumer interests first in the decisions we make," said Industry Minister James
Moore. "Whether it is protecting them from inaccurate measurements at the pumps, protecting them
from unwanted spam in their inbox, or taking clear action to give them more wireless choices, we
are standing up for Canadians in all sectors of the economy."
Actions taken to protect Consumers:
- Protecting Canadians from Unsafe Drugs Act (Vanessa's Law).
- Ordered the first-ever mandatory recall in Canada for a consumer product under the Canada
Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) as part of its effort to remove from the market products that
contain small, powerful magnets that threaten the safety of young children.
- Introduced new fines of up to $25,000 per day for companies that violate orders under the CCPSA.
The Administrative Monetary Penalties (Consumer Products) Regulations provide a flexible and
responsive enforcement approach for dealing with specific incidents of non-compliance with an
order made under the Act, such as refusing to comply with a recall order.
- Canadians continue to have instant access to the latest actions against unsafe products through the
Recalls and Safety Alerts web application on the Healthy Canadians website. The application, which
is now available as a free download as a mobile app, provides easy access to a comprehensive list of
recalls, advisories, and safety alerts from Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and
Transport Canada.
- Announced the intent to introduce stiffer penalties for businesses that fail to respect federal meat
safety requirements;
- Developed enhanced tools for communicating with the public, including revised food recall
warnings that are clearer and easier to understand;
- Expanded FoodNet Canada to a third surveillance site to improve monitoring of food safety issues;
- Introduced the Healthy and Safe Food for Canadians Framework to inform consumers about
healthy and safe food choices, to minimize food safety risks, and to protect Canadians when unsafe
foods enter the marketplace; and,

2. - Initiated a food labelling modernization consultation and committed to engage with Canadians on
how nutrition information is presented on food labels.
- Introduced measures to promote more choice, lower prices and better service in Canada's wireless
market;
- Took steps to reduce wireless roaming rates, preventing wireless providers from charging their
competitors more than they charge their own customers;
- Introduced new enforcement tools to hold wireless companies to account when they break the
rules;
- Strengthened wireless roaming and tower sharing rules;
- Launched a new website on Canada's wireless policies to keep Canadians informed and to
showcase our Government's plan for the future;
- Committed to unbundling television channels so that Canadian families can choose the combination
of channels they want.
- Introduced the Combating Counterfeit Products Act which will help protect Canadian families and
consumers from falling victim to counterfeit goods;
- Passed the Fairness at the Pumps Act so that when Canadians fill up their gas tanks they actually
get what they pay for; and
- Published final regulations so that Canada's anti-spam laws will enter into force and ensure
Canadians don't receive unwanted spam in their inbox.
As we move into 2014, we will continue to build on our successes from this year so that when unsafe
products and unfair practices are identified, we have the tools we need to keep Canadians safe.
Health Canada news releases are available on the Internet at: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/media
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Politics & GovernmentGovernmentContact:Media Inquiries:
Michael Bolkenius
Office of the Honourable Rona Ambrose
Federal Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200
Jake Enwright
Office of the Honourable James Moore
Minister of Industry
(613) 995-9001
Health Canada
Media Relations
(613) 957-2983
Industry Canada
Media Relations
(613) 943-2502
Public Inquiries:

3. Health Canada
(613) 957-2991
1-866 225-0709
Industry Canada
1-800-328-6189
media-relations@ic.gc.ca
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