Senators Requested to Restore C-6

Protection of Canadians is Paramount

OTTAWA, Dec. 7 /CNW Telbec/ - The Minister of Health, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, today requested that the Senate restore C-6, the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, to its original state. This will ensure the protection of Canadians remains intact in the legislation. The Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association (CCSPA) supports her in this bid.

Last week, a Senate Committee stripped necessary provisions from the Bill that leaves it weak and unworkable. CCSPA believes Canadians will not be well served by this Bill. We respectfully request that the Senate of Canada restore Bill C-6 to the language it had prior to the amendments by the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology.

"The health and safety of Canadians is the priority for all CCSPA members and we support Bill C-6. However, these new amendments will weaken the Bill to the point where consumer safety is no longer the priority and Health Canada will not be able to rapidly respond to dangerous consumer products in marketplace. Our member companies are leaders in the responsible use of chemicals for consumer, industrial and institutional products in Canada. Proactive and responsible industries, such as ours, do not find these amendments acceptable," says Shannon Coombs, President of the Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association.

CCSPA is a national trade association that represents 46 member companies across Canada, collectively a $20 billion industry directly employing 12,000 people in over 100 facilities. Our companies manufacture, process, package and distribute consumer, industrial and institutional specialty products such as soaps and detergents, pest control products, aerosols, hard surface disinfectants, deodorizers and automotive chemicals.

The companies CCSPA represents operate in a regulated industry and they believe the additional oversight that this Bill provides will only increase the credibility of the current regulatory regime in Canada. Canadians need to have every confidence in not only the products that CCSPA members provide, but all consumer products.

For further information: Media contact: Shannon Coombs, President, CCSPA, [phone], ext. 18, [email protected], Cell: [phone]