Public Safety committee  Yes, that's what we tell consumers. Canadians want to do what's right; we know that, and we know how highly motivated they are. Everybody's looking for a bargain, but we're telling them that if the price is too low—and we know fair market value—chances are there has to be somethi

Public Safety committee  I only want to say that we appreciate the time, and if we can move forward...I think all of us and the associations feel that if there's anything else we can do, we want to help in any way we can.

Public Safety committee  As we said, it's an underground economy. It's difficult to put a handle on it, but among some of the things that we find, a major car company has said they sell everything from airbags to brake lights to brake linings, and so on, approximately $6 billion a year. They estimate tha

Public Safety committee  To your point, though, there's a lot for the committee to look at. I would invite them down to the Canadian Standards Association, where we look at what the products are. We should also maybe go into a little bit more detail about what we're seeing in China and developing countri

Public Safety committee  I was just going to say that CSA, because of public safety and part of the issues we do...we're advertising, and we've made counterfeiting one of the thrusts. Key components are that counterfeit can kill and no one's immune. So that's part of the campaign we're working on. We bel

Public Safety committee  To the point whether there are rights holders, CSA has gone out with the RCMP. We go through first to identify the counterfeit products they have. They're usually out in the open; then they move them under the table. The RCMP often will follow suit and then charge. It's a small w

Public Safety committee  My experience is that the legitimate manufacturers also, as they've gone offshore.... They come from the paradigm of the factories they're used to dealing with, and they produce from this factory. When you get over into places like China and developing countries, often they farm

Public Safety committee  First off, I agree, and I'm as compassionate when I'm talking to the public as I am when I'm talking to you, as I am to manufacturers and rights holders. So I agree that everybody has a contribution. We are trying to educate, as Mr. Lipkus says. CACN is a consortium of all inter

Public Safety committee  I'm not a lawyer, so I can't speak on that behalf. I just know that if we're capturing as small a portion as we are, even on our best days, then anything that's been caught, confiscated, and fined for is just the cost of doing business. I think the true mechanism for getting at t

Public Safety committee  I was just going to say that it's a constant cat-and-mouse game. In the case I showed you of the thin wire, the counterfeiters have already figured out that this is what we're now looking at, that this is what we're educating the public and retailers to look for. What they're now

Public Safety committee  If I could, I'll just comment on that. There are a number of those issues that are happening. That's quite common in the case of batteries, where they bring them into the country, and it's also a way for them to get around the systems and the checks we have. So if you don't fin

Public Safety committee  To piggyback on that perspective, I don't think there's only one area we have to focus on. There are a number of them. As you alluded to earlier, this is a financial issue for organized crime and counterfeiters. In international law enforcement areas, one of the more effective

Public Safety committee  That is correct, sir.

Public Safety committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and honourable members. It's a pleasure to be able to address you this morning, and I appreciate this opportunity. I am the director of corporate audits and investigations for CSA. It's a body for standards writing and certification testing, and the mark