Living in a country with a bounty of goods and services means gathering consumer information can be a complex mission.

As your Member of Parliament, I am pleased to highlight an Internet location where useful information on goods and services may be found. The Canadian Consumer Information Gateway is a great web site that is the result of a groundbreaking partnership between more than 400 federal departments and agencies, provincial and territorial ministries and non-government organizations. The gateway empowers Canadian consumers and promotes a fair marketplace where all businesses respect consumer protection laws.

The Canadian Consumer Information Gateway was put in place by the Office of Consumer Affairs under the auspices of Industry Canada. It is important to get the word out so the gateway does not remain a well-kept secret – all Canadians should have a look at this web site to see if it works for them.

The information available is wide and varied and there is something for everyone. Interested in replacing your analog television with digital services? Are you trying to protect yourself against identity theft? Wondering if leasing a car is better than buying? Need to file a complaint? Or, perhaps you’d like to know which products have been recalled and why. This web site at www.consumerinformation.ca answers these and thousands of other questions specific to each province and territory.

The Canadian Consumer Information Gateway has hotlinks to subject areas such as children, communications, consumer products and services, environment, food, fraud, government services, health, housing, Internet, money, safety, transportation, travel and tourism. Each of these categories leads to extensive information and subheads provided by the governments and NGOs mentioned previously. The site also has a user-friendly search engine to help web surfers drill down quickly to the information they need.

A “Tools and Calculators” section provides useful products to help calculate a mortgage, find points of interest in various areas of the country, update the exchange on international currency, make online reservations, search campgrounds, quit smoking, and many others.

A “Business Resources” section carries a collection of valuable tools and resources for businesses that want to promote solid customer relationships. Businesses can find information on learning how to handle complaints effectively, how to earn the trust of online customers, and how to minimize identity theft.

I encourage everyone to try this free government service – find out for yourself if the Canadian Consumer Information Gateway makes finding consumer information easier and more efficient for you.

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The audio version of Garry's June 30, 2008 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here