Consumers Council of Canada supports a recently posted e-petition to the House of Commons to establish an independent Canadian Consumer Advocate answerable to Parliament.

The Council believes a Consumer Advocate could improve consumer complaint handling and representation of consumers in government decision-making.

The Council urges Canadians to sign the petition, so it gets enough signatures to be presented to the House of Commons.

The petition proposal builds on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s mandate to create the Consumer Advocate – given to Canada’s Ministers of Industry, Seniors, and Middle-Class Prosperity in 2019.

The Council has welcomed the prime minister’s continued commitment to improve consumer protection, representation and complaint handling.

The Council has researched consumer representation and complaint handling in Canada. It released a report in September 2020, Time for a Real Federal Consumer Advocate.

The Council warns Canadians that the current patchwork approach to consumer protection is failing them. It’s tattered by complex markets, powerful special interests, and new challenges and economic difficulty brought on by COVID-19.

A Consumer Advocate can speak for consumers, support their voice through civil society, and ensure their needs are respected in government decision-making.

The e-petition is open for e-signatures until June 9, 2021. A petition e-signer must be a citizen or resident of Canada. They must provide their name, a valid email address, province and postal code, and telephone number. They automatically get sent an e-mail with a link to confirm their e-signature.

Once an e-petition receives 500 or more e-signatures, the Clerk of Petitions certifies it before presenting it to the House of Commons. At that time, the Government of Canada has 45 days to respond.

Canadians can sign the e-petition here: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-3150