The Transportation department will begin enforcing an auto bill that was approved by Parliament in 2018. .This bill provides regulators with additional authority to recall cars with defects. .According to an official estimate, Canada has millions of “unsafe vehicles” on the road..“Penalties would apply per violation, meaning they could be stacked for multiple violations,” the department said in a statement. .“Factors will be used to determine the size of the penalty, including the risk or harm posed by the violation.”.They did not provide a reason for the delay. Back in 2018, Parliament passed Bill S-2 An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. This allowed regulators to order vehicle recalls and impose fines of up to $200,000 per day for non-compliance. Similar legislation in the United States dates back to 1966..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the bill also granted the transportation department the authority to reach agreements with companies that have broken the law without going to court..MPs passed the bill, but they viewed it as a small improvement..“The problem we are faced with is the fact the bill is so underwhelmingly negligent in fixing the problem it is nothing short of breathtaking,” New Democrat MP Brian Masse (Windsor West, ON) said at the time. .“It allows for decisions in the backroom corridors and dark halls that will never come to Parliament.”.The Transport department has not filed a safety lawsuit against any carmaker since a failed 1993 prosecution of Chrysler Canada over defective tire winch cables. The case was dismissed in 2000..Regulators had one successful prosecution in 45 years against Ford Motor Co. for faulty steering linkage idler arms on vehicles manufactured from 1974 to 1976..“Yes, there is always room for improvement,” Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North, MB), parliamentary secretary to the Government House leader, earlier told the Commons. .“At least we are moving forward.”.In a June 16 regulatory notice, the Transport department said there might be 6.6 million "unsafe vehicles" in Canada. .Many people driving older or used cars did not know about safety recalls because they were only told to the first owners by the dealers..“Older vehicles are more likely to have unresolved recalls,” said a Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement. The average age of road vehicles in Canada is 11 to 12 years..“It is estimated up to one in five vehicles in use on Canada’s roads has an unresolved safety recall,” said the Analysis Statement. .“Based on the 33.3 million registered vehicles in 2019, this means approximately 6.6 million unsafe vehicles are still circulating on Canadian roads, potentially endangering not only the occupants but also other road users.”
