First, let me thank you for all the great work you've done to advance this issue and for being such an amazing patient safety advocate. We're really thankful to have you on committee as this bill goes through. Thank you very much to MP Young.
Obviously, you know full well the consequences of adverse drug reactions and I do think it is so critical that Vanessa's law provides for much higher penalties and even jail time, because we do have to recognize, as you say, the serious impact of adverse drug reactions on our communities.
The bill does introduce new fines for those who do not comply with important safety measures. It allows for significant fines and penalties for companies that sell unsafe drugs in Canada. As you point out, right now the fine for companies who put Canadians at risk is simply not reflective of the realities of the harms that they cause. A fine of $5,000 per violation is a drop in the bucket for many companies that can generate profits of literally hundreds of millions of dollars. With this amendment the fine will change to up to $5 million per violation. In addition to this, the proposed law will also give the court discretion to impose even steeper fines, with no limitations imposed through legislation, and up to two years of jail time if companies break the law intentionally.
I do think that Canadians will support this legislation. They expect that the drugs they purchase from the pharmacy or from store shelves should be safe for the use of their families. I do think by introducing these tough new fines for companies who put Canadian families at risk, we will ensure that companies that break the law will pay the price for compromising this trust and putting the health of Canadians at risk.
It is an unfortunate reality that there are always a few who choose to engage in unethical behaviours, suppressing negative research and withholding vital safety information in order to increase their profit margins, but if these companies were to be convicted today, the punishment for their crimes would fall woefully short of meeting the severity of the risks.
Through Vanessa's law, a company that intentionally provides Health Canada with false information, fails to adhere to conditions of sale, fails to recall a product when ordered, or fails to revise a label as requested, will be in violation of the law and will face very stiff new penalties. The increased fines and penalties are also consistent with those found in our other consumer-based legislation, such as the Canadian Consumer Product Safety Act and the Safe Food for Canadians Act.
Vanessa's law also proposes an injunction power to permit the minister to apply to the court to order a person to stop doing an action related to an offence. This new authority will prove helpful in preventing future contraventions and in dealing with cases where ongoing non-compliance creates a risk to health. If an injunction is not complied with, the regulated party would be in contempt of the court and the court could then impose a fine or imprisonment. These measures will allow the government to take more effective action against those who jeopardize the safety of Canadians.
I think the updated powers go a great distance further than what we have today to protect Canadians from unsafe drugs.