Option consommateurs presented its concerns and recommendations for consumers to Canada's Minister of Finance as part of the 2022 pre-budget consultations.

Here's a summary of our positions:

Consumer budgets

• The situation is alarming. The threat posed by inflation to consumers' purchasing power cannot be overlooked. Its major impact on the share of expenditure linked to basic needs (notably housing and food) is particularly threatening to low-income earners, placing them in an even more precarious situation. Soaring property prices could also lead to more over-indebtedness.
• The government should better supervise the banks. They continue to pocket substantial profits while consumers have less and less purchasing power. Fairness must be restored.
• Direct assistance to consumers needs to be improved. To cope with the rising cost of living, Option consommateurs believes that government benefit programs for citizens need to be improved. This is all the more urgent as experts predict a sharp rise in insolvencies over the coming months.
• The government should promote access to housing. The pandemic has considerably exacerbated the difficulties of accessing affordable housing. In our opinion, to maintain a balanced budget, a citizen should pay no more than 25% of his or her net income on rent. Similarly, soaring real estate prices have led to fears that many consumers will plunge into over-indebtedness in order to buy their own home.

Privacy policy

• We are asking that a new bill be introduced to modernize the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, in order to:
  • Recognize Canadians' right to privacy;
  • Giving control back to consumers;
  • Better protect children's privacy;
  • Increase the powers and resources of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
    and resources.

Telecommunications

• Telecommunications companies continue to generate a considerable number of consumer complaints. Canada is one of the most expensive countries in the world for telecommunications services. Consumers deplore the poor customer service provided by telecommunications companies, and often have problems getting them to honor their promises.
• You have to:
  • Promote greater competition in telecommunications services;
  • Prohibit pressure selling and abusive sales tactics;
  • Securing Canadians' mobile devices.

Air transport

• The pandemic revealed serious gaps in Canada's travel protection net. Airlines refused to reimburse their customers whose travel had been cancelled, in flagrant contravention of the provincial legal framework which stipulates that a merchant must reimburse consumers who are unable to benefit from a service.
• We ask the government:
  • Move forward with the adoption of a regulation in the field of air transport obliging carriers to reimburse air passengers, even when disruptions are beyond the carriers' control.
  • To commit to initiating a consultation process to study the role of the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), so that consumer protection is at the heart of its mandate.

Strengthening civil society

• With the development of digital technology and the emergence of new business models, consumer issues are becoming increasingly complex. Yet consumer associations lack the resources to intervene in democratic debate and put forward the consumer point of view in the development of public policy. Better support for Canadian civil society is essential to ensure a better balance between industry and consumers:
  • Increase the annual envelope of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's Contributions Program for Non-Profit Consumer and Voluntary Organizations by $5 million.
  • Implement a multi-year mission funding program for Canadian consumer associations of $10 million over 5 years.

To view the full brief submitted to Canada's Minister of Finance, click here.