Bringing Consumer Products into Canada

2012
HC Pub.: 4113
Cat.: H128-1/08-557-1
ISBN: 978-1-100-54247-8

Table of Contents

• Prohibited Products (Partial List)
  • Baby Walkers
  • Balloon Blowing Kits
  • Infant Self-Feeding Devices
  • Jequirity Beans
  • Lawn Darts with Elongated Tips
  • Relight Candles
  • Yo-Yo Balls with long cords
• Regulated Products (Partial List)
  • Baby Gates
  • Car Seats
  • Cribs, Cradles and Bassinets
  • Hockey Helmets and Face Protectors
  • Lighters
  • Playpens
  • Strollers

Every day, many consumer products cross the borders into Canada. Some are brought home by residents of Canada travelling outside of the country. Others have been bought by Canadian consumers over the Internet. Be aware that some consumer products are not allowed into Canada by law.

Protecting and promoting the health and safety of Canadians is of the utmost importance to the Government of Canada. The Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) is the law that helps protect consumers from unsafe products.

Under the CCPSA, some products are banned and subject to be detained at the Canadian border. Others may need to meet Canadian regulatory requirements to be allowed into Canada. Many of these regulatory requirements are stricter in Canada than in other countries.

Be aware of consumer products that have safety requirements. Prepare yourself BEFORE you bring consumer products into Canada.

Prohibited Products (Partial List)

The following is a partial list of consumer products that are prohibited for sale, importation and advertisement in Canada and subject to being detained at the border.

Baby Walkers

Balloon Blowing Kits

Infant Self-Feeding Devices

Infant self-feeding devices are structural devices to hold feeding bottles, allowing infants to feed themselves while unattended. When feeding, infants regurgitate small amounts of liquid food. If left unattended, there is a risk of illness or death from choking or from food entering the lungs.

Jequirity Beans

Jequirity beans are orange or red in colour with a black end. They are found in tropical regions and are used to make items such as jewellery, artwork and percussion instruments. They are poisonous and can be fatal if swallowed.

Lawn Darts with Elongated Tips

Lawn darts with elongated tips can cause serious injuries, including skull punctures.

Relight Candles

Relight candles are joke candles that relight spontaneously once they have been extinguished. These create an unnecessary risk of fire.

Yo-Yo Balls with long cords

The yo-yo ball is a toy made of a soft, extremely pliable plastic and consists of a ball or other shape on a stretchy plastic cord that may have a finger loop on one end. Yo-yo balls with cords that can stretch to more than 500 mm (20 in) present a strangulation hazard because the very stretchy cord can become wrapped tightly around a child's neck, when swung overhead. This tight wrap coupled with the stickiness of the plastic cord make it very difficult to remove. This may lead to injury or strangulation of the child.

Regulated Products (Partial List)

The following is a partial list of consumer products that must meet Canadian regulatory requirements. It is illegal to import, sell or advertise these products in Canada if they do not meet all of the following requirements. They are subject to being detained at the border.

The following information can be used as a guide to assessing whether or not the product meets Canadian regulatory requirements. The information does not cover all regulatory requirements and more information can be found at:

Consumer Product Safety
by calling toll-free (in Canada and the United States) 1-866-662-0666, or 613-952-1014
or by e-mail CPS-SPC@hc-sc.gc.ca.

Baby Gates

• A label containing the following information must be permanently affixed to the gate:
  • name and place of the Canadian business for the manufacturer, importer or distributor;
  • model name or number;
  • date of manufacture;
  • warning statements, in English and French, about the intended use, age limits, and installation.
• Assembly instructions, in English and French, must accompany the product.
• Openings in a gate must be small enough to prevent a child from placing their head through the holes.
• Every exposed wooden, metal or plastic part must be smoothly finished and free of splinters, burrs, cracks, and other defects.

Car Seats

• All car seats must have a National Safety Mark on them. This means that they comply to the appropriate Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) [No. 213, 213.1, and 213.2. (Note: 213.5 car bed - legal for use in Canada only with a prescription)].
• A label or text moulded into the plastic containing the following information, in English and French, must be permanently affixed to the product:
  • name and address of manufacturer, importer or retailer;
  • model name and number;
  • date of manufacture;
  • statements for weight and height range of user;
  • characteristics of vehicles in which the product is not to be used;
  • warning statements;
  • installation diagrams.
• The instructions, in English and French, for proper installation and use must be provided with the product.
• All forward-facing car seats must have a tether strap.
• All car seats must have a functional restraint system (harness system).

For further information on car seats, including recalls, contact Transport Canada at 1-800-333-0371 or visit their website at: Road and Motor Vehicle Safety

Cribs, Cradles and Bassinets

Hockey Helmets and Face Protectors

Lighters

Playpens

Strollers

For more information, contact Consumer Product Safety, Health Canada:
1-866-662-0666 (within Canada and the United States), 613-952-1014,
or e-mail cps-spc@hc-sc.gc.ca,
or visit Information for Canadians Travelling Outside of Canada www.healthcanada.gc.ca/travellingcanadians.