About This Consultation
The Ontario government is considering how to improve the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). The CPA is the law governing most personal and household transactions by consumers – from buying furniture in a store to shopping online to renovating your home.
The CPA’s rules support a fair and competitive marketplace where consumers make their own choices without being subject to unfair business practices.
The CPA sets out basic rules for businesses to follow and remedies for consumers if businesses do not follow the rules. It has been over 15 years since the government has undertaken a full review of the CPA. The CPA needs updating to work better in the new marketplace. Updating it will enhance consumer protection and reduce burden for the business community in general, while addressing specific problems more effectively than the current law.
The CPA protects individuals acting for personal, family or household purposes, not business purposes. It is intended to work with and support a competitive marketplace. The CPA:
- Establishes and protects basic consumer rights with respect to consumer contracts;
- Bans unfair practices such as being deceived or misled by a business about a consumer contract; and
- Sets out which contracts must be in writing, what information must be provided, and what additional rules some contracts must follow.
