Mr. Speaker, today is World Consumer Rights Day, declared by the International Organization of Consumer Unions.
Throughout the world consumers are marking this event by taking part in activities stressing their contributions to the marketplace in our society. Consumers have a vital role to play in maintaining the wealth and competitiveness of this country; over 60 per cent of Canada's GDP is attributed to consumer demand.
Consumers' voices should be heard and their rights recognized. The IOCU defines eight basic rights of consumers as given in the UN guidelines: the right to satisfaction of basic needs, the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose, the right to be heard, the right to redress, the right to consumer education, and the right to a healthy environment.
We Canadians are fortunate that many of our basic rights as consumers are already acknowledged. We have good consumer protection legislation in place and businesses that for the most part are concerned with producing high quality goods and services using fair marketing practices.
Consumers in prosperous countries such as Canada are lucky to be able to choose from a wide variety of goods and services.