FEDERAL Industry Minister James Moore on Tuesday announced that the Government of Canada is taking steps to implement the Fairness at the Pumps Act to better protect Canadian consumers.
“Canadian families expect that when they fuel up, they get what they pay for,” said Moore. “Our new regulations will give inspectors the right enforcement tools to ensure that retailers are held accountable for the accuracy of their scales, gas pumps and other measuring devices. We’re putting money back into the pockets of Canadians, and we will continue to stand up for consumers in all sectors of our economy.”
“On behalf of Canadian consumers who have long been on record calling for accuracy at the pumps, we welcome the Government’s move to protect consumers with mandatory pump inspections,” said George Iny, President of the Automobile Protection Association. “Canadians spend a significant amount of their income on transportation and deserve to get what they pay for when they fill up their fuel tanks. This is great news for both drivers and gas station operators.”
The proposed new regulations go beyond the precision of gas pumps. They also ensure greater accuracy in measuring the many everyday goods that Canadian consumers purchase, such as groceries. These regulations will protect consumers against loss due to inaccurate measurement by placing more responsibility on retailers to ensure their measuring devices are accurate.
The proposed regulations contain mandatory inspection frequencies along with new and increased fines to prevent inaccurate measurement. These include administrative monetary penalties, which are a strong deterrent to those who, either through carelessness or malicious intent, sell goods without accurate measurement.
“Canadians work hard to make ends meet and expect their government to have their interests front of mind,” said Moore. “The Fairness at the Pumps Act, alongside several other consumer-related measures under way, will improve the bottom line for Canadian families and ensure that they are getting real value for their hard-earneddollars.”
