OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) – Canadian officials are looking for sufficient “information” from a variety of stakeholders on the use of popular portable electric heaters over “safety” issues while attempting to ban the devices despite the fact the government has made heating homes more expensive due to a punitive carbon tax.
Health Canada, with a notice posted on its website, has now added portable electric heaters as a hazardous consumer product because they can “pose a danger to human health or safety.”
Going one step further, Health Canada has opened a 90-day consultation period titled “Comment period for the danger to human health or safety assessment for portable electric heaters” for stakeholders as well as the public to give digital comments via email on their opinions if the heaters should be banned.
“Health Canada will consider these comments when making a determination on whether there is a danger to human health or safety posed by these products,” the agency noted.
According to Health Canada, if it cannot gather enough evidence that compact electric heaters do indeed pose a safety risk, the devices will not be banned.
The consultation period opened on February 19 and will close on May 19.
The Trudeau government is trying to force net-zero regulations on all Canadian provinces, notably on electricity generation, as early as 2035. His government has also refused to extend a carbon tax exemption on heating fuels to all provinces, allowing only Atlantic provinces this benefit.
According to Statistics Canada, “Energy Poverty,” which could be described as one not being able to “maintain healthy indoor temperatures” throughout the year, is an issue nationwide. Due to the carbon tax imposed by the Trudeau government making everything more expensive, many Canadians are struggling to afford basics like electricity, water, and, most important for winter weather, natural gas for furnaces.
Indeed, a recent report released by McGill University shows that about one-in-five Canadian households face some form of “energy poverty” due to high utility costs.
Last fall, Statistics Canada released findings showing that 14% of Canadians dealt with “unsafe or uncomfortable temperatures” inside their homes no less than four weeks out of the year.
The report also showed that about one-in-seven Canadians had to go without basics like medicine or food just to be able to pay their energy bills.
The irony of the Statistics Canada report is that, as reported by LifeSiteNews, Trudeau’s carbon tax is costing Canadians hundreds of dollars annually, as government rebates are not enough to compensate for high fuel costs.
Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, told LifeSiteNews last month that “If the government wanted to make all areas of life more affordable, the government should leave more money in people’s pockets and cut taxes.”
“Trudeau should completely scrap his carbon tax,” he added.
The electric heaters being investigated include portable baseboard heaters, fan-driven heaters, electric-only heaters, and liquid-filled radiator-style heaters. Health Canada claims that the heaters can cause a fire hazard due to faulty wiring and can overheat.
It should be noted that in many countries such as Mexico portable electric heaters are the norm. While they can pose fire hazards, most modern heaters incorporate automatic shutdowns should the devices be knocked over.
Heaters that are permanently connected are not under review.
Health Canada says that there have been 252 reported incidents, with five deaths and 10 injuries, from 2011 to 2023.
As for Trudeau’s carbon tax, it has made everything more expensive. A report from September 5, 2023, by Statistics Canada shows food prices are rising faster than headline inflation at a rate of between 10% and 18% per year.
According to a recent Statistics Canada survey of supermarket prices, Canadians are paying 12% more for carrots, 14% more for hamburger (ground meat), and 27% more for baby formula.