Foreign E-Commerce Firms Should Have a ‘Domestic Presence’ in Canada Before They Can Sell to Canadians: Federal Report

Foreign E-Commerce Firms Should Have a ‘Domestic Presence’ in Canada Before They Can Sell to Canadians: Federal Report
A person makes an online purchase in a file photo. Pexels
Isaac Teo
Updated:
0:00

A federal Department of Health report is proposing an expansion of its authority via a consumer safety program that will require foreign internet vendors to have a “domestic presence” in the country before they can sell their products to Canadians.

In an internal report last June, Health Canada said the Consumer Product Safety Program (CPSP), which gets its regulatory authority from the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) and the Food and Drugs Act (FDA), was facing increasing challenges to enforce safety requirements on consumer products and cosmetics with the growth of e-commerce.