How to Report Fraud and Identity Theft in Canada
Report fraud and identity theft in Canada: the CAFC steps, what to gather, local police, both credit bureaus, and CRA and Service Canada contacts.
How to Report an Unsafe Consumer Product in Canada
Report an unsafe consumer product in Canada: the Health Canada consumer report, what to include, the form mechanics, and industry's mandatory reporting duties.
Applies in: CA
An unsafe consumer product in Canada is reported to Health Canada's Consumer Product Safety Program. Consumers report voluntarily, and Health Canada encourages reports. Industry reports under a legal duty in the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. This guide covers the reporting mechanics for both routes. It gives no product safety advice beyond the reporting process, and it states no finding about any product.
Step 1: Check that Health Canada is the right place
Health Canada's consumer page covers problems with consumer products and cosmetics, including appliances, children's toys, clothing and accessories, and creams, cleansers, and makeup. If the problem involves an adverse reaction to a drug or medical device, a food safety or labelling issue, pesticides, or unfair trade practices, the consumer page directs you to a separate "Reporting other issues" route instead. Do not force a drug, device, food, or pesticide incident into the consumer product form: the wrong form can delay the report reaching the team that handles it.
Health Canada publishes recalls and safety alerts. You do not need to submit a report to notify Health Canada about a recall that is already published, as the consumer reporting page states. Search the published recalls first, and report only if your incident is not covered by a published recall.
Step 2: Keep the product, the packaging, and the evidence
Keep the product itself, its packaging and labels, the receipt or order record, and any photos of the product, the product labels, and the damage caused. The report form asks for photos, and labels carry the brand, name, model and serial numbers, and warning text that identify the exact product. Do not repair, discard, or return the product before you have photographed it and recorded the details, since the product and its labels are the evidence that lets Health Canada and the supplier identify what failed. If the product was bought online, keep the web address, the order number, and any identifying numbers such as the Amazon Standard Identification Number.
Step 3: Write down what happened, before you open the form
Health Canada encourages a report where someone has died, been injured or nearly injured, or has had a bad reaction from using a product; where someone may be harmed because the product does not work like it is supposed to; where safety instructions or warning labels are missing, confusing, or wrong; or where property has been damaged. Write the account in that order: what happened, the date and nature of the incident, the product's brand, name, and description, the type of injury and any treatment needed, and where you got the product. Note near misses as well as injuries: a product that nearly caused harm is reportable on the same page, and Health Canada's parent and caregiver material states plainly that injuries, near misses, and safety concerns can all be reported.
Step 4: Submit the consumer report
Submit the report online through the Health Canada consumer report form, reached from the consumer reporting page, or call 1-866-662-0666, the toll-free number Health Canada gives for consumer product incident reporting. The form asks for the description, date, and nature of the incident, the product details, the injury and treatment, online purchase identifiers, photos, where you got the product, and whether you wish to remain anonymous or are willing to be contacted with questions. Complete every field you can: the form is the report, and a thin report with no product identifiers cannot be matched to a product line.
If your completed form including attached digital files is larger than 70MB, you will see an error and be unable to submit. In that case, submit attached files up to 70MB on the first form, note the case number you receive, then use the "Additional Documents" web form to attach the remaining files with that case number. That file size procedure is stated on the consumer page itself.
Step 5: Save the case number and update the report if needed
Save your form as an .hcxs file on your computer after you have completed and submitted it, and include the case and submission numbers in the file name to help you find the form again. Those numbers are created once you click the submit button, and you may save an incomplete form at any time and upload it later to complete and submit it. To update a saved report, select "Update a report", choose the saved .hcxs file, upload it, confirm the pop-up, and proceed through the form. If you only have the case number, you can still update the submission, but you will need to complete all the required fields again. To view a read-only version of a saved form, open the submit page, choose "View a read-only version of the report", upload the .hcxs file, and page through the form with the Next and Previous buttons.
Industry reporting: the mandatory duty under section 14
If you manufacture, import, or sell products in Canada, different rules apply. You must report health or safety incidents involving a consumer product to Health Canada, and manufacturers and importers must also provide more details about the incident and any corrective measures they propose, as the industry reporting page states. Industry may submit an initial incident report before conducting a complete investigation, and will be asked afterwards for further information such as root cause analysis and a corrective action plan.
The timelines come from section 14 of the Act, as set out in Health Canada's mandatory reporting guide and its reporting video: under subsection 14(2), a company must report to Health Canada and to the company from whom it received the product within 2 days after the day it became aware of an incident, and under subsection 14(3), manufacturers and importers must provide a follow-up report to Health Canada within 10 days after the day they became aware, with further information including proposed corrective measures. A recall or other corrective measure started in another jurisdiction for health or safety reasons counts as a reportable incident in Canada. Health Canada's industry guidance states that if in doubt, report. Cosmetic health and safety issues are encouraged on a voluntary basis for industry, unlike consumer product incidents, which are mandatory.
Figures this guide does not state
No opened Health Canada page states how long Health Canada takes to review a consumer report, whether a reporter is told the outcome, or how many reports lead to a recall, so this guide states none of those figures. No opened page states a deadline for a consumer report, so none is stated here. The 2-day and 10-day figures in this guide apply only to industry reporting under section 14, not to consumers, and no other timeline is claimed for either route.
Related guides:
The five steps to report an unsafe consumer product in Canada
- Check that Health Canada is the right placeConsumer products and cosmetics go to Health Canada, while drugs, medical devices, food, pesticides, and unfair trade practices go elsewhere
- Keep the product and its packagingKeep the product, labels, receipts, and photos showing the product, the labels, and any damage
- Write down what happenedRecord the date, what happened, the injury or damage, and any treatment that was needed
- Submit the consumer reportSubmit online through the Health Canada consumer report form, or call 1-866-662-0666
- Save the case number and update if neededSave the form as an .hcxs file with the case and submission numbers, and update the report with the saved file or the case number
Questions people ask
What kinds of problems should I report to Health Canada?
Report a problem with a consumer product or cosmetic if someone has died, been injured or nearly injured, or has had a bad reaction from using it; if someone may be harmed because the product does not work like it is supposed to; if safety instructions or warning labels are missing, confusing, or wrong; or if property has been damaged. Health Canada encourages the public, including health professionals reporting on behalf of patients or clients, to report.
Can I report anonymously, and will Health Canada contact me?
The consumer report form asks whether you wish to remain anonymous or are willing to be contacted if Health Canada has questions. Either choice is accepted at the form stage. Give contact details if you are willing to answer follow-up questions, since a report with gaps may need clarification before it can be used.
What information does the report ask for?
A description of what happened, the date and nature of the incident, the product's brand, name, and description, the type of injury and any treatment needed, the web address and identifying numbers such as the Amazon Standard Identification Number and purchase order number if the product was bought online, photos of the product, labels, and damage, where you got the product, and whether you wish to remain anonymous or can be contacted.
The product was already recalled. Do I still need to report it?
No. Health Canada publishes recalls and safety alerts, and its consumer page states you do not need to submit a report to notify it about a recall that is already published. Check the published recalls and safety alerts first. Report if the incident is new, if the product behaved differently from the recall description, or if you are unsure whether the recall covers your product.
I sell, import, or make consumer products. Are my reporting duties different?
Yes. Under section 14 of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, manufacturers, importers, and sellers must report health or safety incidents to Health Canada, and manufacturers and importers must also provide more details and proposed corrective measures. The preliminary report is due within 2 days after the day they became aware of the incident, and the follow-up report from manufacturers and importers within 10 days. Use the industry report form, not the consumer form.
What happens after I submit my report, and how long does it take?
No response time or outcome is stated on the opened Health Canada consumer page, so this guide states none. The page confirms a case number is created when you submit, and that a saved form can be updated later. Do not treat a submitted report as a recall, a refund, or a finding against the product: Health Canada decides what action, if any, follows, and that decision is not described on the opened page.
Sources
- Health Canada, Report an incident involving a consumer product or cosmetic: Consumers — what to report, what the form asks for, the published-recall note, the other-issues routing, the .hcxs save and update mechanics, and the 70MB file limit procedure.
- Health Canada, Report an incident involving a consumer product or cosmetic: Industry — the industry duty to report, the extra detail and corrective measures from manufacturers and importers, the initial report before a complete investigation, and the form mechanics.
- Health Canada, Industry Guide on Mandatory Reporting under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act - Section 14 — the section 14 duties, what counts as an incident, and the 14(2) and 14(3) report types.
- Health Canada, Mandatory Reporting video transcript — the 2-day and 10-day timelines after the day of becoming aware, the four incident criteria, and the online form recommendation.
- Health Canada, Product confessions: incident reporting backgrounder for parents and caregivers — injuries, near misses, and safety concerns as reportable, the online and phone routes, and the information a report covers.
- Health Canada, Canada Consumer Product Safety Act - Information for Direct Sellers — the section 14 duty for sellers, the 2-day and 10-day timelines, the foreign recall as a reportable incident, and the 1-866-662-0666 reporting number.