I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here because I'm not a regular member of this committee, but I've had copious notes prepared for me by my colleague, Mr. Brison.
His point is that we generally support this division; however, it does have one serious problem, which I'd be interested in your thoughts about. As the Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association said in their brief:
As currently proposed, [Bill C-31] would require suppliers to ensure product was labelled in compliance with the Hazardous Products Act and its regulations prior to its importation. This requirement creates an unnecessary burden on suppliers....Allowing suppliers to import product for relabelling would be consistent with the provisions of other modernized regulations....It is not always practical or possible to label product in another country prior to importing it into Canada.
The recommended amendment, which is being put forward as amendment LIB-14, is that the amendment creates an exception for Canadian employers to import product for relabelling, which is consistent with the intent of the bill. It removes an unnecessarily onerous restriction that will place Canadian jobs at risk by making it difficult for some employers to do business in Canada. We hope that you'll agree with this proposal.
What are your thoughts?