Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette responds to reporters questions at a news conference, Thursday, May 11, 2023 at the legislature in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
QUEBEC – The Quebec government wants to legislate a ban on planned obsolescence to ensure products bought by consumers can be repaired.
Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette introduced a bill today that would amend Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act to prohibit the sale of any product whose obsolescence is planned.
It would also require manufacturers and retailers to ensure replacement parts and repair services are available at a reasonable price for the products they sell in the province.
If the bill is adopted, manufacturers would also be required to ensure products can be repaired with ordinary tools and without causing irreversible damage.
Jolin-Barrette says the bill would also forbid manufacturers of laptops and cellphones from selling products with chargers that only work with their devices.
The province’s opposition parties have said they are open to the Coalition Avenir Québec government initiative, and the Liberals have introduced a similar bill.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2023.
