Updating regulations to modernize and strengthen motor vehicle safety for Canadians

Transport Canada wants feedback on updating regulations under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act to improve how we identify possible safety issues in vehicles and equipment, and to improve Canadians’ access to vehicle recall information.

In 2015 and 2018, the Government of Canada updated the Motor Vehicle Safety Act to improve motor vehicle safety in Canada. One change allowed Transport Canada to improve the way we monitor how companies react to and report safety defects, and to help identify other possible safety defects that need to be investigated. Another change gave the power to require companies to improve access to safety recall information.

To allow us to use these new powers, Transport Canada would like to make changes to the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations, the Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations, and the Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Seat Safety Regulations to require:

• All companies to collect, maintain, and share certain information with Transport Canada about vehicles of a regulated class, tires and child car seats that are made or imported for sale into Canada. This would also include sharing information about vehicles, tires and child car seats that are the same, or very similar but sold in other countries;
• All vehicle companies manufacturing or importing vehicles of a regulated class to keep records for 10 years;
• All companies manufacturing or importing vehicles of a regulated class, child car seats or tires to post recall information on their website; and
• All companies manufacturing or importing vehicles of a regulated class to also provide an online search tool where users can see if their vehicle has a repaired or unrepaired recall by using their vehicle identification number (VIN).

These new requirements would be similar to those in the United States.

We would like your thoughts on updating the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations, the Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations, and the Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Seat Safety Regulations allowing Transport Canada to add new requirements for getting additional information from companies and providing the public with additional recall information. This is an informal consultation after which a regulatory proposal will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, followed by a formal comment period at which time you will be able to provide feedback. The final regulatory requirements will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II.

We want to hear from you

We want to hear from stakeholders and the Canadian public. Your opinions and feedback are important. Please read our background document, and have your say. There are three ways to participate:

• Send a formal written submission via the “Submissions” tab by November 27, 2020.
• Participate in our discussion forum through the “Have your say” tab. The forum will be open until November 27, 2020.
  • To participate, please go to "register" at the top of the page or sign in.
• Send in your comments by email to RegulationsClerk-ASFB-Commisauxreglements@tc.gc.ca, and include “Info Gathering/Recall Information” in the subject line.
  • We are looking for feedback on nine questions, including two in the discussion forum and seven in the background document. You can also submit comments about general issues related to these requirements.
  • Please be sure to include data, technical information or other proof to support your comments.

As set out in sections 19 and 20 of the Access to Information Act, be sure to identify any parts of your comments that we shouldn’t make public because they include personal information or third-party information. Explain why your comments should be kept private, and for how long.

Unless you tell us a section is private, it could appear in any regulatory proposal that Transport Canada publishes in the Canada Gazette.