As part of Industry Canada, we believe that ensuring the promotion and protection of the consumer's ability to make confident, well-informed decisions in the marketplace is not only in each of our own best interests, but also helps ensure a more productive and innovative economy. The Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) works with both the public and private sectors, using information, research and innovative policy instruments to complement and support consumer protection regulation.
In the coming years, we will work with our partners in the areas of consumer education and awareness and to promote a greater understanding of the power of the consumer in the Canadian economy. The OCA will also continue to renew our internationally acclaimed information service, consumerinformation.ca, a groundbreaking strategic partnership among more than 400 federal departments and agencies, provincial and territorial ministries and NGOs.
We invite you to browse through this section of the site to learn more about the Office of Consumer Affairs.
Promoting the interests of Canadian consumers
Under the Department of Industry Act, the Minister of Industry has a statutory responsibility to promote and protect consumer interests throughout Canada. The Minister is also responsible for improving productivity and innovation.
The Office of Consumer Affairs responds to these responsibilities by building trust in the marketplace so that consumers can both protect themselves and be able to confidently and knowledgeably drive demand for innovative products and services at competitive prices.
OCA works to fulfill its mandate by focussing on the following areas of activity:
Created under Chapter Eight of the Agreement on Internal Trade, the CMC provides a federal-provincial-territorial forum for national cooperation to improve the marketplace for Canadian consumers, through harmonization of laws, regulations and practices and through actions to raise public awareness. The CMC is co-chaired by the Director General, OCA.
The Contributions Program provides consumer and voluntary groups with the means to produce high quality and timely research on consumer issues affecting the marketplace, and to develop policy advice on these issues that are both credible and useful to decision-makers.
To lodge an effective complaint about a consumer product or service, please consult the Complaint Courier section of ConsumerInformation.ca