An Act to amend the Textile Labelling Act and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act

Bill C-281 would require country-of-origin labelling on Canadian flags sold, imported, or advertised in Canada, as long as the flag is at least 20 centimetres wide and 30 centimetres long. It does this by adding new provisions to two existing laws: the Textile Labelling Act and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act.

Under the change to the Textile Labelling Act, businesses would be prohibited from selling, importing, or advertising a Canadian flag of that size unless it carries a label stating the country where it was made. Similarly, the change to the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act would require that the packaging of any such flag include a label indicating its country of origin.

In practical terms, this means retailers, importers, and manufacturers of Canadian flags of this size or larger would need to ensure both the flag itself and its packaging clearly show where the flag was manufactured, whether that is Canada or another country. The bill does not change any other labelling rules and applies specifically to national flags meeting the specified minimum dimensions.

This bill adds a prohibition to the Textile Labelling Act and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act requiring country-of-origin labels on Canadian flags of a specified size that are sold, imported, or advertised.

• Who is obligated — any "dealer" (the term used in both Acts for sellers, importers or advertisers) of a Canadian national flag that is a consumer textile article or a prepackaged product.
• Trigger for the rule — the prohibition applies only to flags at least 20 centimetres wide and 30 centimetres long; smaller flags are not covered.
• Required action — the dealer must ensure the flag (or its packaging) has a label stating its country of origin before selling, importing, or advertising it.
• Definition left to existing regulation — under the Textile Labelling Act amendment, "country of origin" takes the meaning already set out in the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations, a definition made by regulation rather than by this bill; the packaging-law amendment does not point to a specific regulatory definition.
• Enforcement and penalties — the text does not set out penalties or an enforcement process for breaching these new sections; any consequences would depend on the general enforcement and penalty provisions already existing elsewhere in the two Acts, which are not reproduced or amended here.
• Oversight — no reporting requirement, review period, or sunset clause is included in this bill.