Ottawa, Ontario – The Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, has recently announced new penalties for companies who violate the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
Under the new regulations, penalties will range up to $4,000 for an individual violating the act, and up to $200,000 for a company.
Examples of possible violations include: a company or person importing vehicles, child car seats, or tires that don’t meet Canadian safety standards; a company becoming aware of a safety defect in their products and not issuing a recall promptly, or issuing a recall that fails to adequately fix the problem; and a manufacturing facility failing to adequately test their products to ensure they meet applicable Canadian safety standards.
Penalties would apply per violation, meaning that they could be stacked for multiple violations.
For severe violations affecting multiple vehicles, Transport Canada could issue severe penalties such as those affecting multiple vehicles, tires, child restraint systems and types of equipment used in the restraint of disabled persons.
According to the announcement, a number of factors will be used to determine the size of the penalty given. These include the determined harm or risk raised by the violation or the degree of negligence involved.
“The Motor Vehicle Safety Act plays an important role in ensuring that our roads are safe. With these new penalties, we’re taking action to deter non-compliance. We’ll continue to work to improve safety for Canadians,” said Rodriguez.
Past reports from Transport Canada indicate that financial penalties and the risk of these penalties are a proven and effective deterrent in maintaining automotive safety.
Rodriguez finished the announcement by stating that “these (new) regulations will help to make our roads safer for all Canadians.”
