Bill C-267 Electronic Products Act

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C-267 An Act to Establish a National Framework to Promote the Durability of Electronic Products and Essential Home Appliances

Short Title: National Framework on the Durability of Electronic Products and Essential Home Appliances Act

Bill Type: Private Member’s Bill

Bill Sponsor: Abdelhaq Sari (Bourassa)

What is this Bill trying to do?

Your washing machine breaks two years after the warranty expires. The manufacturer stopped making the part you need. The repair technician can't get the diagnostic software. You buy a new one. This Bill directs Federal government to develop national standards for how long electronics and home appliances must last, whether parts and repair information must be available and how long software support must continue — and to put that information on the label so consumers know what they're buying before they buy it.

Status: 2nd Reading — debate April 30, 2026. This Bill hasn't passed yet.

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WHO GAINS POWER

  • The Minister of Industry gains the mandate to develop the framework and lead consultations with Provinces and consumer advocacy groups
  • ⚠️ The Minister controls what the standards actually are — minimum useful life, parts availability timelines, software support duration and labelling requirements are all set by the Minister through the framework, not written into the Bill
  • Consumers gain the right to transparency about useful life and repair options — but only after the framework is developed and only if provinces adopt it

WHO LOSES POWER

  • ⚠️ Provinces retain jurisdiction over consumer protection — the Bill explicitly consults provincial consumer protection ministers but cannot compel them to adopt any standard or impose any obligation on manufacturers
  • Manufacturers, importers and distributors face potential new obligations — but only if Provinces Legislate them, which is not required
  • ⚠️ This Bill creates no enforceable consumer rights — it directs the Minister to develop a framework that may eventually recommend that Provinces consider Legislation that could impose obligations

WHO GAINS MONEY

  • Independent repair shops gain if parts, tools and technical documentation become more accessible — right to repair is a direct economic benefit to the repair industry
  • Consumers gain if products last longer and are repairable — reduced replacement costs over time
  • Canadian manufacturers who already build durable products gain a competitive advantage if minimum standards are set and enforced

WHO LOSES MONEY

  • Manufacturers whose business model depends on planned obsolescence — short useful life, proprietary parts, locked software — face potential disruption if standards are adopted
  • ⚠️ No compensation mechanism exists for consumers who have already been harmed — the framework is forward-looking only
  • Importers and distributors of low-durability products face potential new obligations if Provinces legislate following the framework

THE CATCH

  • ⚠️ Same structural problem as C-266 — this is a framework bill with no enforcement mechanism. The Minister develops standards, tables a report and consults Provinces. Provinces are not required to legislate. Manufacturers are not required to comply with anything until Provinces act
  • ⚠️ "Essential home appliance" is defined so broadly it could mean almost anything — a device for food preservation, cooking, washing, heating or communication covers everything from a refrigerator to a microwave from a phone to a space heater. The Minister is the decision maker for what falls in and out of scope
  • ⚠️ "Useful life" is defined as the period a product may be used safely under normal conditions — but who determines what normal conditions are and what safe means is left entirely to the framework, not the Bill
  • The framework report is due within 18 months — then a five-year review. That's potentially six and a half years before Parliament formally evaluates whether any of this is working
  • ⚠️ No penalties are written into the Bill — penalties for non-compliance are listed as something the Minister should discuss with Provinces as a possible Legislative measure. They are not mandatory and not Federal

Source: Bill C-267 — Parliament of Canada