OTTAWA – The Conservative Government has recently unveiled the details of its comprehensive Consumer Protection Plan. The initiative will better protect the health and well being of Canadian families. The proposed legislation, which has been tabled in the House of Commons, is the next step to implementing the Conservative Government’s Canada Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan. It also builds on the $113 million committed in Budget 2008 towards the plan.

“These are necessary changes that were ignored by the previous Liberal government,” states Leon Benoit. “For 13 years the Liberals chose to turn a blind eye to Canada’s out of date product safety laws, leaving us far behind most other industrialized nations.”

The European Union introduced its first directive for consumer protection in 1992 and went on to revise that directive in 2001 and 2004. The USA has amended and updated their product safety legislation on more than 18 separate occasions.

“I know that this is an issue that matters to all Canadians; they want and deserve the right to know that their government is looking after their safety and the safety of their families,” says Benoit.

The new rules will provide Canadians with peace of mind knowing that they will not have to worry that the products they use everyday could be harmful to them or their families. This issue is now more important than ever, with so many products being made abroad and then being imported to Canada; currently 65% of products sold in Canada are imported. “It is a simple matter of being able to trust the products that we use everyday,” explains Benoit.

The new regulations include a requirement for manufactures to report incidents causing illness or injury within seven days. The changes also include an increase to the maximum allowable fines from $5,000 to $5 million for those irresponsible manufacturers who put consumers at risk.

“As a father of five and a proud grandfather of two, this is very important to me. Just like other Canadians I want to know that the toys that my grandchildren play with and the food that they eat is not going to put their health or safety at risk,” says Benoit.