Provincial Elections 2022 - Our concerns and recommendations to the political parties

In the context of the 2022 provincial elections, Option consommateurs shares its concerns and recommendations with the political parties.

We see the current inflationary context as an opportunity to return the exclusive power to set annual electricity rates to the Régie de l'énergie, and to encourage the future government to review certain measures relating to tax fairness, access to housing and direct assistance to consumers.

We are also proposing to the political parties measures to modernize the Consumer Protection Act. Finally, we are putting forward the need to improve funding for organizations that for the collective defense of rights and access to justice.

Below is a summary of these recommendations. You can also read our press release.

Inflation and consumer budgets

Option consommateurs is deeply concerned about the threat posed by inflation to consumer purchasing power. Inflation significantly significantly increase the share of expenditure linked to consumers' basic needs, including energy, food and housing.

Faced with this crisis, the next government must act quickly on three fronts: (1) controlling electricity rates, (2) improving benefit programs and taxation, and (3) housing.

1. Option consommateurs is concerned about the proportion that electricity costs will take on Quebecers' budgets over the next few years, and is calling on the political parties to take a stand and restore the Régie de l'énergie's power to set Hydro-Québec rates.
   Indeed, a family of two adults and two children living in a house will have to pay no less than $340 more for electricity over the next two years, if rates keep pace with inflation - currently around 6% - as stipulated by law. Hydro-Québec posted record profits of $2.06 billion in the first quarter of 2022, partly from the pockets of Quebecers already struggling to cope with rising commodity prices.
2. Option consommateurs proposes improving the refundable solidarity tax credit, increasing the basic personal non-taxable amount, extending access to housing allowance to all low-income single people, and significantly increasing social assistance and family allowance payments.
3. To overcome the growing difficulties of access to affordable housing, we recommend that the next Quebec government implement a combination of measures: 
   • Developing new social housing ;
   • Improve the housing allowance program ;
   • Promote home ownership initiatives.

Consumer rights

Option consommateurs proposes strengthening the Consumer Protection Act in areas we feel are priorities at the moment:

• In light of the difficulties encountered by consumers transacting on sharing economy platforms such as Expedia, Uber, Airbnb and others, we invite the next government to ensure that these multinational firms fully comply with the Consumer Protection Act. To this end, it might be appropriate to specify in the law that an online intermediary is jointly and severally liable for the proper performance of contracts with the final service provider.
• It's high time to tackle some of the practices involved in itinerant sales, to ensure better consumer protection by prohibiting the sale of certain goods, for example, or requiring merchants to respect a certain time limit before starting work on a consumer's premises.
• Option consommateurs also believes that the government should tackle programmed obsolescence and the right to reparability. This phenomenon has significant consequences both for the environment and the budget.

Option consommateurs believes that tighter laws must be accompanied by greater resources for supervisory bodies such as the Office de la protection du consommateur to ensure compliance.

Support for advocacy and access to justice organizations

Since the beginning of the pandemic, community organizations have played an essential role in informing citizens and defending their rights. Option consommateurs has seen requests to its legal information service more than double. Given the current economic situation, we also expect requests for help with personal finances to increase significantly over the next few years.

In addition, the recent adoption of Bill no 34 will enable us to expand our service offering and better meet the needs of litigants.

It is therefore essential to provide substantial financial support for organizations like ours, so that they can offer citizens such services free of charge or at low cost. Otherwise, Quebec's legislative efforts to promote access to justice will have little practical effect.