Madam Speaker, the provisions which have been recommended under Motion No. 6 are pretty standard provisions of most competition legislation and, in particular, of all legislation dealing with warranties and guarantees, basically dealing with representations made not only by someone who makes a product but also by someone who sells a product.
The warranty is a larger legal term than just the type of guarantee you get from a manufacturer for a product that is being sold, statements made about the efficacy of a product, about the standard and quality of a product and indeed about the prices at which products are traditionally being sold are not only made by the person manufacturing the product, who in this day and age is probably in another country altogether, but also by the importer, the wholesaler and the retailer.
Therefore, it is important to include a provision of this sort for greater specificity, for greater protection for consumers and for greater protection for businesses which are honest and forthright because they are being penalized by the deceptive practices of other businesses.
It is important to add this kind of provision. It is a common practice amongst most legislation of this sort. It would add extra specificity to the section dealing with telemarketing practices. It would provide an extra person, who might be responsible, to be pursued legally for damages above and beyond the manufacturer, the importer, the wholesaler and any other retailer. It seems to widen the net a bit to bring in more deceptive practices perpetrated by those businesses which are dishonest and out to cheat Canadians.
I would like to emphasize a point made by last the speaker. It is odd to suggest that a provision such as this, which would prohibit misleading representations to the public concerning the price at which things are sold, which would prohibit representations which are untrue as to the performance, efficacy or length of life of a product, with respect to a warranty or guarantee of a product with regards to repair, replacement and so on, could be damaging to business, at least damaging to legitimate business. If the member wants to protect illegitimate business that is another matter. It would be damaging to those illegitimate businesses which are out to cheat consumers and their competitors in the marketplace.
Surely we are here to present a level playing field for businesses and protection for consumers. If the hon. member looked back at other consumer protection legislation, not only in other parts of the world but throughout Canada, he would have seen that this is a very normal provision and one which would add to the protection of consumers and to the protection of legitimate businesses. It seems to me that it is in everyone's interest.