The Crowsnest Pass Chamber of Commerce held their monthly luncheon at noon on Wednesday, May 9th at the Lion’s Pride Hall, where guest speaker Cst. Martin Bouchard from the Calgary Federal Enforcement section of the RCMP came to speak about counterfeit issues in Canada.
The event was catered by Ben Wong’s restaurant in Blairmore, and hosted around 30 locals.
Bouchard kicked off his presentation by asking the audience what they knew about counterfeit products in Canada. The response of the audience varied, some saying yes, some saying no, and some saying maybe.
Bouchard continued by saying that many Canadians, specifically business owners are unaware of when a cheap knockoff they are selling turns into an illegal product.
In the world today, counterfeits are a growing problem, and more things are becoming the product of counterfeit in Canada. Household items, food, alcohol, toys, perfume, electronics and medicine are all becoming common illegal products being sold in Canada under counterfeit names.
An item is considered illegal if it is a direct misrepresentation of a real product or company. Usually these misrepresentations are cheaper, lower quality, and dangerous to the wellbeing of the owner of the product.
Bouchard explained that in Canada, it is common for stores to sell cheap products that are replicas of original products, putting the logos of designer companies on cut-rate products that are not made by that company.
This is an illegal act in Canada, both selling and purchasing the knock-off products.