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On the same day that Health Minister Tony Clement described food and consumer product safety as "the single largest issue which has come to dominate our agenda in recent months," one of the world's most popular children's toys was pulled off Canadian shelves because it may contain traces of the "date rape" drug.

Wednesday's toy scare – the latest in a series over the past few months – had both consumer groups and opposition politicians hammering the federal government for not doing enough to protect Canadians from harmful products.

Spin Master Toys, the Toronto-based manufacturer of a Chinese-made toy called Aqua Dots, asked North American retailers to remove the product from their shelves Wednesday after a similar toy was blamed for sending three young children to the hospital in Australia over the past 10 days.

The toy – which is marketed under the name Bindeez in Australia and was recently named that country's toy of the year – contains dozens of little beads that fuse when wet. Scientists in Australia say the beads contain a chemical that the body converts into gamma hydroxy butyrate, often referred to as a "date rape" drug.

GHB can cause drowsiness and, in extreme cases, can be fatal.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we have stopped shipping this item and are working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada," Spin Master said in a press release. The company did not say whether the toys were made in the same factory as the Australian brand and did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Clement spoke at the Economic Club of Toronto about the government's food and consumer product safety strategy Wednesday, saying that while Canada's regulations are among the world's best, they failed to anticipate the effects and speed of globalization.

"Canada's Hazardous Products Act has not been reviewed in over 50 years – half a century has gone by, and society has developed at the speed of light during that half century," he said.

Mr. Clement said he asked his staff to review his ministry's food and product safety strategies, and "close the gaps" where needed. For example, he said, while the Minister of Agriculture can compel recalls through the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Minister of Health has no similar power.

Mr. Clement added that an announcement on the product safety strategy is coming in a few weeks. He highlighted a new government website – healthycanadians.gc.ca – that contains information on recalled products.

That had opposition politicians fuming.

"Canadians should be able to expect – more than [a]website – that the government is prepared to take action," said MP Dan McTeague, the Liberal critic for consumer affairs and consular services. Mr. McTeague said the site is at best a Band-Aid solution, and the government should instead focus on harsh penalties for those caught bringing dangerous goods into the country.

"The first rule of Parliament is to protect citizens," he said. "A website is insulting to say the least."

After his speech, Mr. Clement said the previous government had 13 years to review product safety regulations. He would not give more details on the impending announcement, but said it would not target specific countries such as China, the source of several contaminated products.

Bruce Cran, president of the Consumers' Association of Canada, said there needs to be more inspection of such products before they enter the country, and clear guidelines on how tainted products are to be confiscated and destroyed.

"These things usually only come to light after a disaster," he said, "usually a disaster somewhere else."

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