Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including more unauthorized skin lightening creams and workout supplements, while Transport Canada flagged an issue with tens of thousands of Teslas.
TESLA’S AUTOPILOT
After more than two million Tesla vehicles across various models were recalled in the U.S. over an issue with the autopilot function, Transport Canada said Wednesday the recall will affect about 193,000 cars in Canada.
The transportation department said the recall will be added to its database of vehicles with safety recalls.
Tesla is expected to provide an over-the-air software update to fix the advanced driver assistance features, Transport Canada said.
According to the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration investigation, the recall affects cars produced between Oct. 5, 2012, and December 7 of this year.
U.S. safety regulators had investigated a series of crashes involving Tesla’s autopilot feature, some of which were fatal.
WINDOW SHADES
Health Canada issued a recall Wednesday for various window shades due to a choking hazard.
Taylor & Olive window cordless shades, sold on Bed, Bath and Beyond’s website and available in several colours, were recalled after they failed to meet the Corded Window Coverings Regulations.
The recall notice said the bottom rail end caps may detach, creating a hazardous small part and posing a choking hazard to young children.
Fewer than 30 shades were recalled, ranging from March 2022 to November 2023.
The company said no injuries have been reported in Canada as of December 11.
The health ministry said customers should stop using the recalled items and contact the company for a free endcap replacement kit.
Health Canada also recalled Cooper Grove Yerevan top down bottom up shades on Thursday, in various colours, due to a strangulation hazard.
The window shades, also sold on Bed Bath and Beyond’s website, failed to meet the standard coverings regulations.
Children can become entangled in blind cords, which can lead to strangulation and even death, the recall notice said.
The company said 77 units were sold in Canada between June 2022 and August 2023 and has received no reports of incidents or injuries in Canada since December 7.
UNAUTHORIZED PRODUCTS
Health Canada issued a recall Wednesday for additional unauthorized products, including skin lightening treatments, sexual enhancement, and workout supplements, due to potential serious health risks.
The health department listed Hadalabo Pearl Barley Facial Foam as the recent recall for skin treatment products—used to treat skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis—stating it was labelled to contain aminocaproic acid.
For sexual enhancement products, Black Panther Triple Maximum, Premium Pro Power 3500 Gold Rhino Extreme 500K, and Rhino 99 Diamond 30000 were recently recalled and labelled to contain “yohimbe” and “tadalafil,” according to the recall note.
Health Canada also added the following workout supplements to the recall: Axe & Sledge – The Grind, in various flavours, and 5% Knocked the Fck Out, in two flavours. All products were labelled to contain L-tryptophan.
The items were tested to have “dangerous ingredients” and were not labelled correctly to include these ingredients, according to the recall notice.
The recall history of these unauthorized products, including weight loss, as a workout aid, as “poppers,” tracks as early as November 2017.
Health Canada urges consumers to stop using these unauthorized items and consult a health provider if used.
UNAUTHORIZED INJECTABLE DRUG
Health Canada issued a recall Wednesday for an unauthorized injectable drug product sold by Canlab due to serious health risks.
According to the recall, the products are promoted as peptides and sold online at two of Canlab Research’s websites, including www.canlabresearch.com and www.canlab.net.
The health department said some injectable prescription drugs available for sale on Canlab websites include oxytocin and triptorelin.
“Most synthetic injectable peptides are regulated as prescription drugs in Canada and require a prescription from a licenced health care professional,” Health Canada said.
Health Canada urged consumers to buy prescription drugs from licensed pharmacies and to stop product use.
LITTLE GOURMET MEALTIME BOWLS
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a recall Wednesday for certain Little Gourmet mealtime bowls due to possible pieces of wood found in the food.
The CFIA said the recall includes the 130-gram Veggie Chicken Pasta and Veggie Beef Lasagna bowls, identified by their Universal Product Code 62861988104 and 628619881027
The recall was triggered by a consumer complaint, according to the notice
The food inspection agency said customers should check if they have the mealtime bowls and throw them out.
OTTAWA – The New Democrats confirmed Thursday they won’t help Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives topple the government next week, and intend to join the Bloc Québécois in blocking the Tories’ non-confidence motion.
The planned votes from the Bloc and the New Democrats eliminate the possibility of a snap election, buying the Liberals more time to govern after a raucous start to the fall sitting of Parliament.
Poilievre issued a challenge to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh earlier this week when he announced he will put forward a motion that simply states that the House has no confidence in the government or the prime minister.
If it were to pass, it would likely mean Canadians would be heading to the polls, but Singh said Thursday he’s not going to let Poilievre tell him what to do.
Voting against the Conservative motion doesn’t mean the NDP support the Liberals, said Singh, who pulled out of his political pact with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a few weeks ago.
“I stand by my words, Trudeau has let you down,” Singh said in the foyer outside of the House of Commons Thursday.
“Trudeau has let you down and does not deserve another chance.”
Canadians will have to make that choice at the ballot box, Singh said, but he will make a decision about whether to help trigger that election on a vote-by-vote basis in the House.
The Conservatives mocked the NDP during Question Period for saying they had “ripped up” the deal to support the Liberals, despite plans to vote to keep them in power.
Poilievre accused Singh of pretending to pull out of the deal to sway voters in a federal byelection in Winnipeg, where the NDP was defending its long-held seat against the Conservatives.
“Once the votes were counted, he betrayed them again. He’s a fake, a phoney and fraud. How can anyone ever believe what the sellout NDP leader says in the future?” Poilievre said during Question Period Thursday afternoon.
At some point after those comments, Singh stepped out from behind his desk in the House and a two-minute shouting match ensued between the two leaders and their MPs before the Speaker intervened.
Outside the House, Poilievre said he plans to put forward another non-confidence motion at the next opportunity.
“We want a carbon-tax election as soon as possible, so that we can axe Trudeau’s tax before he quadruples it to 61 cents a litre,” he said.
Liberal House leader Karina Gould says there is much work the government still needs to do, and that Singh has realized the consequences of potentially bringing down the government. She refused to take questions about whether her government will negotiate with opposition parties to ensure their support in future confidence motions.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet hasn’t ruled out voting no-confidence in the government the next time a motion is tabled.
“I never support Liberals. Help me God, I go against the Conservatives on a vote that is only about Pierre Poilievre and his huge ambition for himself,” Blanchet said Thursday.
“I support the interests of Quebecers, if those interests are also good for Canadians.”
A Bloc bill to increase pension cheques for seniors aged 65 to 74 is now at “the very centre of the survival of this government,” he said.
The Bloc needs a recommendation from a government minister to OK the cost and get the bill through the House.
The Bloc also wants to see more protections for supply management in the food sector in Canada and Quebec.
If the Liberals can’t deliver on those two things, they will fall, Blanchet said.
“This is what we call power,” he said.
Treasury Board President Anita Anand wouldn’t say whether the government would be willing to swallow the financial implications of the Bloc’s demands.
“We are focused at Treasury Board on ensuring prudent fiscal management,” she said Thursday.
“And at this time, our immediate focus is implementing the measures in budget 2024 that were announced earlier this year.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – Treasury Board President Anita Anand has been sworn in as federal transport minister at a ceremony at Rideau Hall, taking over a portfolio left vacant after Pablo Rodriguez resigned from cabinet and the Liberal caucus on Thursday.
Anand thanked Rodriguez for his contributions to the government and the country, saying she’s grateful for his guidance and friendship.
She sidestepped a question about the message it sends to have him leave the federal Liberal fold.
“That is a decision that he made independently, and I wish him well,” she said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was not present for the swearing-in ceremony, nor were any other members of the Liberal government.
The shakeup in cabinet comes just days after the Liberals lost a key seat in a Montreal byelection to the Bloc Québécois and amid renewed calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down and make way for a new leader.
Anand said she is not actively seeking leadership of the party, saying she is focused on her roles as minister and as MP.
“My view is that we are a team, and we are a team that has to keep delivering for our country,” she said.
The minority Liberal government is in a more challenging position in the House of Commons after the NDP ended a supply-and-confidence deal that provided parliamentary stability for more than two years.
Non-confidence votes are guaranteed to come from the Opposition Conservatives, who are eager to bring the government down.
On Thursday morning, Rodriguez made a symbolic walk over the Alexandra Bridge from Parliament Hill to Gatineau, Que., where he formally announced his plans to run for the Quebec Liberal party leadership.
He said he will now sit as an Independent member of Parliament, which will allow him to focus on his own priorities.
“I was defending the priorities of the government, and I did it in a very loyal way,” he said.
“It’s normal and it’s what I had to do. But now it’s more about my vision, the vision of the team that I’m building.”
Rodriguez said he will stay on as an MP until the Quebec Liberal leadership campaign officially launches in January.
He said that will “avoid a costly byelection a few weeks, or months, before a general election.”
The next federal election must be held by October 2025.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he will try to topple the government sooner than that, beginning with a non-confidence motion that is set to be debated Sept. 24 and voted on Sept. 25.
Poilievre has called on the NDP and the Bloc Québécois to support him, but both Jagmeet Singh and Yves-François Blanchet have said they will not support the Conservatives.
Rodriguez said he doesn’t want a federal election right away and will vote against the non-confidence motion.
As for how he would vote on other matters before the House of Commons, “it would depend on the votes.”
Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos will become the government’s new Quebec lieutenant, a non-cabinet role Rodriguez held since 2019.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
— With files from Nojoud Al Mallees and Dylan Robertson
