Canada Opens Consultation on Expanding Product Name Protections

Canada opened a public consultation on Thursday aimed at expanding its geographical indications regime under the Trademarks Act, a move that could affect how wines and spirits are named and marketed in the country and could eventually extend protection to traditional crafts and industrial products.

The government said the engagement will gather feedback from Canadians, with a particular focus on Indigenous Peoples, as it considers how to modernize a system that now covers only certain agricultural and food products, along with wines and spirits. Officials said the input will help shape future policy directions.

Geographical indications are a form of intellectual property used to identify products that come from a specific place and whose quality, reputation or other characteristics are tied to that location. In practice, the designation can help producers signal authenticity, build consumer trust and distinguish goods in domestic and export markets.

In Canada, the current system includes names such as Canadian Rye Whisky for spirits and Ontario Icewine, Vin de glace du Québec, Niagara Peninsula and Okanagan Valley for wines. The government said it is now examining whether the regime should be broadened to include categories such as traditional crafts and industrial products.

The consultation is also tied to Canada’s implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Officials said they want feedback on how any changes could better protect Indigenous knowledge and cultural expressions, including the respectful use of Indigenous place names within the geographical indications framework.

Mélanie Joly, the minister of industry and minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, said in a statement that strengthening protections for goods such as traditional crafts or culturally significant products could support economic growth, tourism, investment and trade development. She said the process is meant to hear directly from Indigenous Peoples and other stakeholders about how intellectual property rules can better protect authenticity.

The government pointed to international developments as part of its rationale. The European Union recently expanded its own geographical indications regime to cover crafts and industrial products, citing their cultural and economic value. Canadian officials said similar products here can be closely linked to regional histories and local production methods.

Those products can include weaving, textiles, beadwork, ceramics, wood carvings and stone carvings, according to the government’s release. Officials said such goods may carry strong regional identities that could benefit from clearer legal protection if Canada decides to widen the regime.

The consultation comes as Ottawa seeks to promote Canadian-made products abroad while also supporting trade diversification at home. The government said stronger protections could help businesses differentiate their goods in crowded markets and create new opportunities for producers tied to specific regions.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada said the engagement will inform part of a broader commitment under Measure 101 of the UN declaration action plan, which calls on federal departments to work with Indigenous Peoples so intellectual property laws reflect their rights over cultural heritage, knowledge and cultural expressions.

The consultation is now open through the government’s engagement process, with officials inviting comments from producers, Indigenous communities, industry groups and other interested Canadians.