The Competition Bureau received a complaint in June 2009 alleging that a home improvement/hardware product, which claimed to be "Made in Canada", was actually made in China.

The Bureau assesses claims alluding to Canada as the country of origin by considering the criteria set out in its Guide to "Made in Canada" Claims and by applying the false and misleading representations provisions of the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act (section 7), the Textile Labelling Act (section 5), and the Competition Act (sections 52 and 74.01), under which it is an offence to make false or misleading representations.

The Bureau contacted the target company who confirmed that the product is in fact made in China, and that the incorrect country of origin claim was made in error. The target company agreed to make corrections to its labels.

Upon confirmation that the labels were corrected, this matter was resolved in September 2009.

(3103519, 3103820)