(TLN) On May 8, a motion tabled in the National Assembly by the Liberal MNA for Bourassa-Sauvé, requesting the Committee on Citizen Relations acknowledge the petition concerning the fight against planned obsolescence and the right to repair, was unanimously rejected by members of the CAQ government.
Experts rebuffed
The adoption of the motion, supported by all the opposition parties, would have allowed four experts to be heard on the subject.
As proposed by the PQ MNA for Jonquière, they were Jonathan Mayer, lecturer at Sherbrooke University and the instigator of Bill 197 in connection with the petition, Martin Masse, founder of Zone Accro, Insertec Angus, and the Institute of the Environment, Sustainable Development and Circular Economy.
Petition by Ouellette
It might be recalled that a significant number of people from across the province supported the initiative by 51 law students from Sherbrooke University. In Fact, 45,028 citizens signed a petition tabled on April 2 by Guy Ouellette, the National Assembly Member for Chomedey.
Mr. Ouellette said he was deeply disappointed with the decision made by the government members of the Commission. The MNA for Chomedey added that “the adoption of this motion would have allowed Bill 197 to go a long way, which aims, among other things, to combat planned obsolescence and promote the right to repair.”
Against planned obsolescence
Bill 197 against planned obsolescence and the right to repair, which was tabled on April 9, aims to amend the Consumer Protection Act to ensure greater sustainability of consumer products. This Bill was completed by law students at Sherbrooke University with the help of their teacher, Jonathan Mayer, as part of a judicial interpretation course.
Planned obsolescence is a business tactic whereby manufacturers reduce the life of their products in order to speed up the replacement cycle. These practices force over-consumption and have significant and direct impact on the environment as well as the budget of Quebec consumers.
