Product Liability And AI: Who's Really At Fault?

Starting October 5, 2026, Québec will introduce a new statutory warranty of good working order for consumer goods such as appliances and electronics, with minimum warranty periods ranging from 3 to 6 years. The legislation imposes disclosure obligations on manufacturers and merchants while prohibiting any attempts to exclude or limit this warranty. Businesses operating in Québec must adapt their practices to comply with these consumer protection requirements or face potential compliance issues.

Health Canada's recent enforcement action against unauthorized injectable peptides signals a regulatory shift that wellness companies cannot afford to ignore. While peptides dominate influencer marketing and online wellness spaces, their legal status in Canada depends on factors far more complex than social media trends suggest. Understanding how route of administration, therapeutic claims, and market authorization intersect is now critical for compliance.

À compter du 5 octobre 2026, une nouvelle garantie légale de bon fonctionnement s'appliquera aux électroménagers et appareils électroniques neufs vendus ou loués à long terme au Québec. Cette garantie, découlant de la Loi 29, impose de nouvelles obligations aux commerçants et fabricants, de l'affichage des prix au traitement des réclamations. Découvrez les biens visés, les durées applicables et les étapes concrètes pour assurer

Starting October 5, 2026, Quebec will implement a new legal warranty of good working order for household appliances and electronic devices, requiring merchants and manufacturers to adapt their practices from price display to claims handling. What obligations will businesses face under Bill 29's amendments to the Consumer Protection Act, and how can they prepare for compliance before the deadline?

Health Canada has introduced mandatory performance standards for consumer products containing button/coin batteries, requiring immediate compliance from manufacturers, importers, advertisers, and sellers. Companies must now certify that their products, packaging, and labelling meet specified safety criteria or equivalent standards to mitigate ingestion hazards. This regulatory update offers a more flexible, outcomes-based approach compared to the prescriptive requirements of Reese's Law in the United States

Canada maintains a sophisticated yet largely voluntary system for regulating food-contact materials, placing primary responsibility on industry to ensure packaging safety. While Health Canada offers Letters of No Objection (LONOs) as written assurances, this regulatory framework may soon shift toward a mandatory positive list approach, fundamentally changing how food packaging materials are assessed and approved in the Canadian market.

Dr. Sabra Desai examines the critical role schools play in child abuse prevention and supporting survivors, using Erin's Law as a guiding framework to explore trauma-informed education practices...

Quebec's new Bill 24 prohibits businesses from using a person's identity or image in consumer advertising without consent, creating significant compliance obligations for companies using AI-generated content, synthetic voices, and digitally altered spokespersons. The legislation introduces broad enforcement powers and extends liability beyond content creators to platforms that distribute or facilitate unauthorized representations.

Health Canada has launched a public consultation on a proposed regulatory overhaul that would fundamentally transform how food packaging materials are evaluated and approved for use in Canada. The agency is considering implementing a mandatory notification system and potentially creating a binding positive list of approved substances, marking a significant departure from the current voluntary Letter of No Objection framework.

In August, the Federal Trade Commission (the "FTC"), the federal U.S. agency equivalent to Canada's Competition Bureau, issued a rule (the "Rule") to combat fake reviews and testimonials. The Rule

Ontario commercial truck drivers with less than two years of heavy-truck experience must now pass a practical road test administered by Quebec's SAAQ before transferring their licence to operate heavy vehicles in the province. This new requirement follows fatal collisions and an Ontario Auditor General audit that exposed significant gaps in training standards and provider oversight. Carriers operating across the border need to factor these requirements into workforce planning, recruitment timelines, and dis

Keeping up with employment law in Canada used to be a marathon. Now, it's a sprint. For employers in Québec, Ontario, and British Columbia, a significant volume of new legislation...

On September 15, 2026 (“Announcement Day”), the Department of Finance released draft legislative proposals to implement the “Productivity Mega Deduction,” permanent 100% first-year (“immediate”) expensing for a wide range of new or used depreciable property and for Canadian development expenses (“CDE”)...

Foreign companies hiring Canadian employees or allowing remote work from Canada face immediate payroll obligations that begin the moment employment duties are performed on Canadian soil. Understanding income tax source deductions, CPP and EI premiums, provincial payroll taxes, and director liability rules is essential for compliance, regardless of whether the employer maintains a physical Canadian presence.

Deepfakes are reaching courts. Learn how a U.S. case dismissed for AI-generated evidence and Canadian authentication rules are changing what litigators must do now.

Canada's federal government is seeking public input on AI transparency measures that could introduce new disclosure obligations, incident reporting requirements, and tracking mechanisms for AI systems. Organizations have until September 23, 2026 to influence the regulatory framework before it takes shape through potential legislation, standards, or mandatory requirements.

Quebec's new Bill 24 prohibits businesses from using a person's identity or image in consumer advertising without consent, creating significant compliance obligations for companies using AI-generated content, synthetic voices, and digitally altered spokespersons. The legislation introduces broad enforcement powers and extends liability beyond content creators to platforms that distribute or facilitate unauthorized representations.

A 2026 Ontario Court of Appeal decision reveals that construction contracts signed years after legislative reforms may still be governed by the old Construction Lien Act if the procurement process began before July 1, 2018. The ruling demonstrates how early project proposals and negotiations can determine which statutory regime applies, regardless of when the final contract was executed or where the project was ultimately built.

Foreign companies entering Canada face a complex tax landscape where home-country assumptions about deductibility, intercompany charges, and holding structures often don't apply.

As a non-resident engaging in activities in Canada, it is important to understand whether your activities will result in income tax being levied.