Quebec City, Quebec – The National Assembly announced on Tuesday the unanimous adoption of Bill 29 aimed at protecting consumers against planned obsolescence.
As soon as the legislation is signed into law, it will be prohibited in Quebec to sell goods whose normal operating life has been deliberately limited.
The adoption of Bill 29 exists in tandem with Quebec’s recent passing of an anti-lemon law aimed at protecting consumers against deficient automobiles.
Bill 29 will create a warranty of proper functioning applicable to automobiles as well as many consumer appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, tablets and televisions.
Under the proposed law, an item from the appointed goods list may be repaired free of charge by the maker if it malfunctions during the period covered. Similarly, spare parts, repair services and information necessary for the maintenance and repair of an item must be available for a reasonable period of time to the consumer.
Consumers will also be able to do business with the repairer of their choice.
“The adoption of Bill 29 consolidates Quebec’s leadership in consumer protection in North America and around the world. We can be proud of the model that we are implementing,” said The minister of justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette.
His parliamentary assistant, MP Kariane Bourassa, added: “We are now committed to a more responsible consumption model. The economic benefits have been demonstrated; the benefits for our environment, too.”
