Law protecting consumers against abusive ticket resale practices and online subscription renewals.

Summary#

Bill No. 10, introduced by Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette in 2025, proposes to amend the Consumer Protection Act and the Act on the Recovery of Certain Debts.

It primarily targets two sectors:

• Resale of event tickets

  • Platforms should clearly indicate that they are reselling tickets.
  • They should specify that tickets may be offered at a lower price by the authorized seller.
  • Before resale, the consumer should receive information about the authorized seller, the original price, the seat or place, and the last owner of the ticket.
  • The resale price generally could not exceed the price of the authorized seller, except with prior agreement from the producer and under certain conditions.
  • No fees could be charged for transferring a ticket.
  • Producers, sellers, and resellers should promptly inform consumers of a cancellation or a change in schedule or location.
  • A platform that allows another person to resell a ticket and receive payment could be considered as participating in the resale.

• Subscriptions and contracts renewed online

  • A merchant should provide a clearly identifiable button to cancel a contract online when cancellation is allowed without cause.
  • For free or discounted offers, the merchant should notify the customer in writing of the end of the promotion and the new price. The notice should be sent two to ten days before the change.
  • Advertisements for remote services, such as telephony or television, should clearly show non-recurring fees in addition to regular payments.
  • Contracts could not prevent a consumer from posting or communicating a review about a product, service, or the conduct of a merchant.

The bill also provides for the reimbursement of certain amounts demanded illegally, administrative and criminal penalties, as well as new powers to suspend or revoke the license of a collection agent in certain situations.

What This Means for You#

If the bill is passed, you could:

• better distinguish a ticket sold by the official seller from a resold ticket;
• know the price announced by the authorized seller before purchasing a resold ticket;
• receive more information about changes or cancellations of an event;
• transfer a ticket without paying transfer fees;
• more easily cancel certain online subscriptions;
• receive a reminder before the end of a trial period or discount;
• see additional fees related to a remote service more clearly;
• post an opinion about a merchant without a contractual clause preventing you from doing so.

The new rules would primarily target resale platforms, ticket sellers, event producers, and merchants offering subscriptions or ongoing services. Existing contracts would not all be subject to the new obligations regarding free or discounted periods.

The proposed penalties include administrative fines of $750 for individuals and $1,500 in other cases for certain violations related to subscriptions. Other penalties could apply to tickets and other obligations.

The text provides for a general coming into force three months after sanction. Some provisions would come into force immediately upon sanction. The exact date is not specified in the presented bill.

Costs#

No official cost estimates for consumers, merchants, platforms, or the government are provided in the text.

Merchants and platforms may need to modify their websites, contracts, payment systems, and communications with customers. These changes could incur administrative or IT costs.

For consumers, the prohibition of certain fees and the reimbursement of amounts demanded contrary to the rules could reduce some costs. However, the bill does not specify whether ticket or subscription prices could change to account for the new obligations.

Supporters' Viewpoint#

No publicly available information.

The proposed measures could nonetheless be presented as a way to make prices and sales conditions more transparent, facilitate the cancellation of subscriptions, and limit unexpected fees.

Opponents' Viewpoint#

No publicly available information.

Merchants or platforms could nonetheless raise concerns about compliance costs, increased liability for platforms, and the application of rules to different ticket resale models.