Press Room
Right to know bill would protect consumers
Ottawa, May 29th, 2008 –
The right-to-know bill introduced today by Burnaby-New Westminster MP Peter Julian “will help Canadians make more informed decisions about their own, and their children’s health,” Mae Burrows of Toxic Free Canada and Michel Arnold of Option consommateurs said in a joint statement issued from Ottawa.
“The debate over bisphenol-A (BPA) demonstrates that consumers must have the right to know what toxic ingredients may be in the products they use”, said Burrows. “Julian’s bill will give them that right by providing for mandatory labelling of hazardous ingredients in everyday consumer products.”
Burrows points to Health-Canada’s assessment of bisphenol-A, which concludes that pregnant women and their babies are at risk from exposure to BPA. But without product labelling they have no way of knowing what products may contain the toxic ingredient.
“That’s why it’s so important we have labelling legislation that will provide the information people need to make the most healthy choices,” Arnold said “And it’s not just BPA – many consumer products, such as household cleaners, mothballs and home maintenance products contain carcinogens and reproductive toxins or neurotoxic ingredients that can especially affect children. Consumers should have the right to know what those hazards are, through hazard labelling.”
Burrows represented the public interest in a Health Canada consultation aimed at developing a consensus on product labelling for consumer products. But while consumer, environmental and health advocacy groups issued a consensus statement, industry representatives on the committee refused to support hazard labelling. The industry lobby group, Canada Consumer Specialty Products Association, has proposed instead some form of voluntary ingredient-only labelling.
“It’s clear we can’t count on manufacturers to provide consumers with the information they need,” Burrows said. “We need legislation.”
Public opinion polls commissioned by Toxic Free Canada (formerly the Labour Environmental Alliance Society) and the Canadian Cancer Society have demonstrates that well over 95 per cent of consumers support right-to-know hazard labelling on consumer products.
Established in 1998 as the Labour Environmental Alliance Society, Toxic Free Canada is a non-profit society working to create alliances and initiatives that promote healthier workplaces, healthier homes and communities and healthier environment. Its projects have focussed on toxics reduction and cancer prevention, including the popular CancerSmart Consumer Guide.
Option consommateurs is a non-profit association whose mission is to promote and defend the rights and the interest on consumers and to ensure that those rights are respected. To achieve its goal, the association offers direct services to consumers and represents them through advocacy and research, according to UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection (1999).
For more information:
Mae Burrows 604 916-9026 (in Ottawa)
Michel Arnold 514 598-7288
Sean Griffin 604 254-9412
Toxic Free Canada
“The debate over bisphenol-A (BPA) demonstrates that consumers must have the right to know what toxic ingredients may be in the products they use”, said Burrows. “Julian’s bill will give them that right by providing for mandatory labelling of hazardous ingredients in everyday consumer products.”
Burrows points to Health-Canada’s assessment of bisphenol-A, which concludes that pregnant women and their babies are at risk from exposure to BPA. But without product labelling they have no way of knowing what products may contain the toxic ingredient.
“That’s why it’s so important we have labelling legislation that will provide the information people need to make the most healthy choices,” Arnold said “And it’s not just BPA – many consumer products, such as household cleaners, mothballs and home maintenance products contain carcinogens and reproductive toxins or neurotoxic ingredients that can especially affect children. Consumers should have the right to know what those hazards are, through hazard labelling.”
Burrows represented the public interest in a Health Canada consultation aimed at developing a consensus on product labelling for consumer products. But while consumer, environmental and health advocacy groups issued a consensus statement, industry representatives on the committee refused to support hazard labelling. The industry lobby group, Canada Consumer Specialty Products Association, has proposed instead some form of voluntary ingredient-only labelling.
“It’s clear we can’t count on manufacturers to provide consumers with the information they need,” Burrows said. “We need legislation.”
Public opinion polls commissioned by Toxic Free Canada (formerly the Labour Environmental Alliance Society) and the Canadian Cancer Society have demonstrates that well over 95 per cent of consumers support right-to-know hazard labelling on consumer products.
Established in 1998 as the Labour Environmental Alliance Society, Toxic Free Canada is a non-profit society working to create alliances and initiatives that promote healthier workplaces, healthier homes and communities and healthier environment. Its projects have focussed on toxics reduction and cancer prevention, including the popular CancerSmart Consumer Guide.
Option consommateurs is a non-profit association whose mission is to promote and defend the rights and the interest on consumers and to ensure that those rights are respected. To achieve its goal, the association offers direct services to consumers and represents them through advocacy and research, according to UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection (1999).
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For more information:
Mae Burrows 604 916-9026 (in Ottawa)
Michel Arnold 514 598-7288
Sean Griffin 604 254-9412
Toxic Free Canada
