was introduced in the House of Assembly yesterday.
The new act will consolidate the intent of six current
acts which will be repealed. These include the Trade Practices Act,
the Direct Sellers Act, the Unsolicited Goods and Credit Cards
Act, the Consumer Reporting Agencies Act, the
Unconscionable Transactions Relief Act and the Consumer
Protection Act as well as the Bill 4 entitled the Cost of
Consumer Credit Disclosure Act and the Consumer Reporting Agencies
Regulations which were passed in the House of Assembly last spring but
were not proclaimed.
"The new Consumer Protection and Business Practices
Act is modernized and efficient and provides consumers with one
piece of legislation for information on interactions with businesses,"
said the Honourable Kevin O�Brien, Minister of Government Services.
"This new act also recognizes that the way people conduct their business
has changed over the years. Consumers who prefer to complete their
transactions through the Internet or other distance sales contracts
completed via television or telephone will now have increased
protection."
The new act will also benefit the business community.
"The new Consumer Protection and Business Practices
Act also clearly outlines the duties for businesses as suppliers of
goods and services which should ensure easier compliance and
enforcement," said Minister O�Brien.
Other provinces are also moving towards consolidating
various acts into one, concise piece of legislation. So far Alberta,
British Columbia and Ontario have introduced similar acts.
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