CAMP Opening Statement to the House Standing Committee on Industry and Technology on its Study of Bill C-267 

Thank you, Chair, and thank you to the members of the committee for inviting me to speak with you today. 

My name is Keldon Bester and I’m the Executive Director of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project. We’re a think tank working to build an economy where markets work for the people who depend on them. 

Being able to fix the things we buy is part of what it means to own them. That’s why we support the framework proposed in Bill C-267 as a positive step for repairability in Canada. 

Whether we can repair the things we own is not an inevitable or organic outcome. It’s the result of business models, design choices, and the policies that set the guardrails around them. Without strong protections, Canadians will watch their ability to maintain and repair their own products slip away.  

That’s a problem because repair matters to Canadians in several ways. 

Repair matters to consumers, determining whether we get our money’s worth on purchases big and small. It matters to farmers and small business owners, who need control over the tools they make a living with. It matters for competition as well. When a manufacturer controls who can fix its products, it holds power over its customers and can shut out an independent repair markets that could better serve Canadians. 

We’re glad to see that Bill C-267 recognizes the value of repair and the need for collaboration across governments to protect it. Provinces have played, and continue to play, an important role. But the markets we import from are global in nature. A national framework will help avoid a patchwork that leaves some Canadians better protected than others. 

As you study this bill, we’d ask you to consider three ways to broaden its scope and move faster to deliver for Canadians. 

First, we suggest expanding the bill beyond electronic products and home appliances. Repair matters for products outside the walls of our homes, and for people who rely on them for more than just personal use. Vehicles, farm equipment, medical devices. Each benefits from a strong focus on repairability. For businesses that depend on them, a timely repair at a critical moment can determine the fate of an otherwise healthy business.  

Second, we’d encourage you to consider the businesses and organizations that make repair possible across the country. Most of us, resourceful as we are, rely on someone else to fix something when it breaks. Entire markets exist to meet that demand. The bill’s mention of consumer advocacy groups is welcome, but any consultation should also include independent repair businesses and regulators who have studied repair policy, such as the Competition Bureau. 

Third, we suggest that framework efforts move more quickly to enforceable measures to support repairability in Canada. The initial report of the framework should identify potential legislative and regulatory options, proposed obligations, as well as responsible bodies. We also suggest earlier progress reports to make the process more transparent and accountable to Canadians. 

While progress has been made on repair in Canada, more work remains to be done. Just one example, recent amendments to the Competition Act now address refusals to supply the parts and information needed to diagnose and repair a product. That’s an important improvement, but it addresses just one of the barriers to repair in Canada. What Canada still lacks is a national framework that brings provincial and federal efforts together into a coherent program. 

With the right ambition, the national framework of C-267 would be an important step toward a future where Canadians have more control over the products they rely on. Who gets to fix what, and on what terms, sits at the centre of protecting consumers and guarding against monopoly in our economy. A strong approach can strengthen consumer rights and make Canadian markets more dynamic. A weak one lets dominant firms extend their power at the expense of consumers, workers, and businesses. 

A national repairability framework built on federal and provincial cooperation is the right approach. It’s scope and ambition should match what it could accomplish: giving Canadians a say over the products that make their lives easier and support their livelihoods. 

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your questions.