Canada seeks new consumer protection laws

OTTAWA, June 7 (UPI) -- Canada will reintroduce legislation to keep unsafe products off store shelves and punish companies that break consumer safety rules, officials say.

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said she would introduce the new laws in the next few days, The Toronto Sun reported Monday.

"The safety and well-being of Canadian families and children remain a top priority for our government," Aglukkaq said.

"Canada's current product safety law is now over 40 years old," she added, "and we need to do more to update and improve this law to help protect our families from harmful products."

The government tried to pass stricter consumer protection laws last year, but the bill was killed when Prime Minister Stephen Harper discontinued the parliamentary session in December, the Sun said.

The reintroduced legislation would create mandatory reporting requirements for retailers and manufacturers to report safety problems, and would give the government the power to order mandatory recalls, the newspaper reported.