Fair Measurement, Consumer Trust, and Affordability
Bill S‑3 proposes to modernize Canada’s trade‑measurement rules—laws that protect Canadians when goods and services are bought and sold based on measurement. Whether it’s litres at the gas pump or weight on a grocery scale, accurate measurement is the foundation of fair pricing and consumer confidence. This legislation updates the Weights and Measures Act and the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act to reflect how measurement is increasingly digital and technology‑enabled.
The bill introduces several important changes, including inspection by sampling (examining a representative set of devices of the same class/type/design), temporary permissions to use certain devices under conditions, and updated compliance and inspection tools—including provisions that treat remote access by telecommunication as a form of “entry” for inspection purposes. Support for modernization should come with careful scrutiny, because the details—how sampling is conducted, how directions are published, and how powers are exercised—will determine whether Canadians get more transparency and stronger protection in everyday transactions.
Affordability and transparency must remain front and centre. In Senate committee study of Bill S‑3, concerns were raised about public skepticism and the fear that modernization could end up costing consumers more if compliance becomes burdensome or unclear. Canadians deserve straightforward answers: what rules are changing, why they are changing, how they will be enforced, and how costs will be kept from being passed on at the pump and checkout. Watch the full remarks in the video below.
Related Material