On December 7, 2016, Moose International Inc. (Moose Knuckles) reached a consent agreement with the Commissioner of Competition. The consent agreement resolves the Commissioner's concerns about deceptive marketing practices in respect of the "Made in Canada" claims on certain Moose Knuckles parkas.

According to the Bureau, Moose Knuckles claimed that its parkas are "Made in Canada" (both on its website, and on the interior of the parkas themselves). The Bureau alleged that, in fact, the parkas were imported from Vietnam and Asia in a nearly finished form. The Bureau concluded that Moose Knuckles' advertising was therefore inconsistent with its (non-binding) "Made in Canada" guidelines, which have three key requirements:

  1.  That the "last substantial transformation" of a product occur in Canada. (In fact, the Bureau alleged that the last substantial transformation of Moose Knuckles' parkas occurred outside Canada.)
  2. That at least 51% of the total direct costs of producing or manufacturing the product be incurred in Canada. (The Bureau alleged that this requirement was also not satisfied.)
  3. That the "Made in Canada" claim is accompanied by an appropriate qualifying statement, such as "Made in Canada with imported parts" or "Made in Canada with domestic and imported parts." (The Bureau alleged that Moose Knuckles' qualifying statement – "Made in Canada with imported textiles" – was included only on the care labels in a sleeve, and therefore did not change the misleading general impression of the claims.)

Under the consent agreement, Moose Knuckles agreed to cease making representations that create the general impression that its parkas are made exclusively with Canadian components (in any advertising medium, including its website, print publications and social media). Moose Knuckles also agreed to either: a) add a "Made in Canada with Canadian and imported components" hang tag to the "Made in Canada" label on the parkas' collars, with equal or greater prominence; or b) remove the "Made in Canada" label on the parkas' collars. A corrective notice will also be posted on Moose Knuckles' website's product information page for one year, and a corporate compliance program will be implemented to ensure compliance with the Competition Act. Lastly, Moose Knuckles will donate $750,000 over five years to charities that support children in need in Canada.

However, no fines (or administrative monetary penalties) were imposed, nor was Moose Knuckles required to reimburse the Bureau's investigative costs. Such financial penalties are common in consent agreements involving alleged misleading advertising. It is not immediately clear why no monetary penalties were imposed.

This is the second case where a consent agreement has been reached by mediation, and the Bureau welcomed this method as another tool to resolve concerns efficiently.

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