How is Canada protecting customers buying from foreign e-commerce sites like Temu and Shein?

As U.S. regulators push for an investigation into what they call 'deadly baby and toddler products' from foreign e-commerce sites, health officials in Canada say they haven't determined whether any laws or regulations have been broken.

As U.S. regulators push for an investigation into what they call "deadly baby and toddler products" from foreign e-commerce sites, health officials in Canada say they don't have enough information to determine if any laws or regulations have been broken.

Under Health Canada's Consumer Product Safety Program, consumer product manufacturers, importers, advertisers, and vendors must ensure that their products comply with all health requirements and that they do not pose a danger to human health or safety, said a Health Canada spokesperson in a recent email to CTVNews.ca.

Last month, U.S. safety commissioners Peter Feldman and Douglas Dziak issued an open letter calling on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSP) to assess how foreign shopping platforms, including Temu and Shein, meet their obligations under the Consumer Product Safety Act.

The commissioners raised specific concerns with popular shopping apps Shein and Temu, citing recent media reports that they said show "deadly baby and toddler products are easy to find on these platforms."

Shein and Temu use third-party sellers in China to sell low-priced goods, from T-shirts to electronics.

"We seek to better understand these firms, particularly their focus on low-value direct-to-consumer – sometimes called de minimis – shipments and the enforcement challenges when Chinese firms with little or no U.S. presence distribute consumer products through these platforms," the U.S. consumer watchdog commissioners wrote. "Third-party sellers, domestic and foreign, are proliferating on online platforms. This form of commerce can benefit consumers and sellers in many ways, but CPSC must make clear its expectations regarding these platforms’ responsibilities to ensure safety."

Health Canada acknowledged it is aware of the open letter. It says it regularly monitors domestic and foreign news sources along with incident reports from consumers and the industry to help track safety issues, which may lead to inspections and enforcement actions.