Health Canada working with online marketplaces to protect the health and safety of Canadian consumers

Government of Canada announces the launch of the Canadian Product Safety Pledge alongside Amazon Canada and eBay Canada.

September 29, 2023 | Ottawa, Ontario | Health Canada

With the popularity of online shopping, Canada and countries around the world have seen an increase in the availability of unsafe products with potential risks to consumers. Product safety is a shared responsibility, and online businesses play an important role in promoting product safety in the digital economy to help keep consumers safe.

That is why yesterday, the Honourable Greg Fergus, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the President of the Treasury Board, on behalf of the Honourable Mark Holland, Canada's Minister of Health, announced the launch of the Canadian Product Safety Pledge (the Pledge), with Amazon Canada and eBay Canada as the first signatories to the Pledge.

As signatories to the Pledge, these companies who host products from third-party sellers, have voluntarily committed to strengthening product safety. This will be done through a combination of preventative and corrective actions that will help reduce the safety risks associated with consumer products and cosmetics purchased through their online marketplaces. The Pledge adds to Canada's already robust consumer product and cosmetic safety system.

Signatories have committed to making it easier for consumers to report product concerns to them, at the point of sale, and to Health Canada. In addition, in the event that a product sold through a signatory's marketplace is subsequently recalled, they will inform consumers about the recall. The signatories have also committed to enabling third-party sellers to provide consumers with more accurate product descriptions, as well as more information about third-party sellers on product listings.

The development of the Pledge was informed by guidance from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and other successful product safety pledges that have been launched in recent years by the European Union, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Australia. Health Canada will develop an annual public report to measure outcomes and track the effectiveness of the signatories' product safety initiatives.

The government is looking forward to its continued collaboration with the private sector to add more signatories to the Pledge.

Quotes

"This is an important step towards strengthening the safety and well-being of all Canadians by improving online public safety information for consumer products and cosmetics. Whether it's a toy, an appliance, or shampoo, Canadians deserve safe products. Together, we will create a safer digital world, where every Canadian can shop with confidence and certainty."

The Honourable Mark Holland
Minister of Health

"In an era where online shopping has become an integral part of our daily lives, consumers have greater access to potentially unsafe products. The Canadian Product Safety Pledge aims to help swiftly identify and remove those unsafe products from online marketplaces. I am pleased to see two online marketplaces – Amazon Canada and eBay Canada – become the first to sign the Pledge to strengthen product safety on their respective platforms. Alongside our partners in the private sector, we are working to improve the safety of the Canada's marketplaces."

The Honourable Greg Fergus
Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and to the Minister of Health

"Amazon strives to be the earth's most customer-centric company where every product available for sale and delivered to a customer is safe. We are continuously innovating new ways to keep customers safe, and this pledge features our ongoing effort to protect our customers."

Eva Lorenz
Country Manager, Amazon Canada

"Product safety has always been a top priority for eBay globally, so it's great to further our partnership with the Canadian government on best practices that keep consumers safe. eBay has signed product pledges in Europe, Australia and Japan, with the Canadian product pledge being an important next step in reinforcing a safe and trusted marketplace that drives consumer confidence when purchasing online."

Andrea Stairs
Vice President, International Markets & Regulatory, eBay

Quick Facts

• The Canadian Product Safety Pledge is a series of voluntary commitments to strengthen the safety of consumer products and cosmetics sold online through a combination of preventative and corrective actions.
• The Pledge complements existing authorities under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act and the Cosmetic Regulations of the Food and Drugs Act, which provide the Government with legislative powers to take action to address product safety issues, such as recalling dangerous products from the Canadian market.
• In 2022, Health Canada took corrective action on 505 non-compliant consumer products and cosmetics, including 250 voluntary recalls, with seven million units of products recalled in Canada.