Canada to revise toy standards

The Canadian Ministry of Health recently announced that it will revise the current safety laws related to children's toys and published a draft for comments on its website.

It is understood that the draft for comments published this time is titled "Proposals for Reforming Canada's Children's Toy Safety Legislation: Mechanical and Electrical Hazards - Part 1", which is also one of the plans of the Canadian Ministry of Health for the "Hazardous Goods (Toys) Regulations". The draft for comments will be published until January 12, 2010, and the public can make relevant comments on it before then.

Previously, Canada defined the hazards of children's toys based on the relevant provisions of the Hazardous Goods Act and the Hazardous Goods (Toys) Regulations. Canada is now reviewing the relevant regulations of the Hazardous Goods (Toys) Regulations. In addition to the relevant revisions to electromechanical hazards, it will also review the flammability, chemistry, toxicity and other known hazards of children's toys.

Canada said that the first phase of consultation will focus on five areas, including toys containing magnets or magnetic parts, sound-making toys, the size and shape of some toys, plastic films or bags used for toys or toy packaging, and toy labels with age restrictions and clear choking warnings.

Industry insiders said that after the new regulations are introduced, relevant policies will become more stringent, which will also increase the export risks of Chinese products.

Canada used to be the fifth largest toy exporter in my country, but with the continuous increase of trade barriers, the export volume of my country's toys has also been declining rapidly. Since August 2009, Canada has dropped to the sixth place among my country's major toy exporters. According to the statistics of the General Administration of Customs, in August 2009, my country exported 120 million US dollars of toys to Canada, a sharp drop of 30.8% year-on-year. In the same period, my country exported 170 million US dollars to ASEAN, a 68.7% increase against the market trend. ASEAN has replaced Canada and jumped to the fifth largest export market for my country's toys.

With the end of the peak season, Canada's trade barriers to major markets such as my country continue to rise. In the future, my country's toy companies, especially toy export companies, will still face pressure to recover. Companies need to pay attention to changes in laws and regulations in export regions, increase independent product research and development and quality testing, actively expand emerging markets, and turn pressure into a driving force for sustainable development of enterprises.