Child car seat cross border shopping – what parents and caregivers should know

TP 14563
Consumer Information Notice
Child Restraint Systems
2007-C09 E
Updated: April 24, 2012

Road Safety
Information: 1-800-333-0371

Cross border shopping may be tempting, but when it comes to buying a child’s car seat or booster seat for use in Canada, Transport Canada and Health Canada warn consumers against it.

Transport Canada and Health Canada are concerned that parents and caregivers may not know that it is illegal to import and use in Canada a seat that does not comply with Canadian standards. Many consumers are looking south of the border and in other countries for the best buy without knowing all of the facts. Some are either bringing the seats with them across the border or are buying them by mail order and having them shipped home.

Transport Canada has received a number of inquiries from parents and caregivers who have either purchased a seat, or are considering purchasing a seat from outside of Canada. Transport Canada has also been advised by Canada Border Services Agency ( CBSA ) officers and certified child passenger safety technicians that seats purchased in other countries are being privately imported into Canada and are showing up at car seat clinics across Canada.

Additionally, if the seat is purchased outside of Canada and a recall notice is issued, the parent or caregiver may not be informed of the recall or have legal recourse with the manufacturer.

Under Health Canada’s Restraint Systems and Booster Seats for Motor Vehicles Regulations, and in accordance with the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, child, infant, and booster seats that do not comply with certain specifications of Transport Canada’s Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Seat Safety Regulations ( RSSR ) must not be imported, advertised or sold in Canada whether by individuals or for commercial purposes. Furthermore, provincial and territorial legislation does not allow their use in Canada. Their laws are enforced on roadways by provincial and territorial police.

Child, infant, or booster seats purchased outside Canada, including those purchased online from non-Canadian vendors, may not comply with Canada’s Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Seat Safety Regulations and the applicable Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards ( CMVSS ), and thus would not carry the National Safety Mark. Every country has its respective child seat standards. Canadian regulations are rigorous and differ from those in other countries, as explained here.

In summary, when purchasing a child seat for use in Canada, parents and caregivers should look for the National Safety Mark label attached to the seat, indicating that the seat complies with Canadian regulations and standards, and is therefore legal for use in Canada. When shopping online for a child seat, please ensure that the vendor is offering a seat that is certified to Canadian standards and carries the National Safety Mark.

National Safety Mark

 

Transport Canada and Health Canada take this opportunity to remind parents and caregivers to always use a child seat appropriate for your child’s stage of physical development, weight and height, and to ensure that the child seat is used and installed correctly in the vehicle in accordance with the child seat manufacturer’s instructions and the vehicle’s user guide.

For more information about child seats and child passenger safety, visit Transport Canada’s Child Safety Web page, or call Transport Canada’s Road Safety Information Centre at 1-800-333-0371 (toll-free in Canada).

Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055

Public Enquiries, Road Safety
1-800-333-0371 (long distance, Canada)
1-613-998-8616 (Ottawa region and from other countries)
mvs-sa@tc.gc.ca

Media Enquiries
Health Canada, Ottawa
613-957-2983

Public Enquiries
Health Canada, Ottawa
613-957-2991
1-866 225-0709

Note: This consumer information notice was developed in collaboration with the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation ( TSF ).

 

Linking to Non-Government of Canada Websites

Links to websites not under the control of the Government of Canada, including those to our social media accounts, are provided solely for the convenience of our website visitors. We are not responsible for the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content of such websites. The Government of Canada does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the sites and their content.

Visitors should also be aware that information offered by non-Government of Canada sites to which this website links is not subject to the Privacy Act or the Official Languages Act and may not be accessible to persons with disabilities. The information offered may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question. With respect to privacy, visitors should research the privacy policies of these non-government websites before providing personal information.

xxyy