This bill principally amends the Consumer Protection Act (chapter P-40.1) in relation to the resale of show tickets and contracts for successive performance. It also extends the application of certain provisions of that Act, including provisions concerning administrative monetary penalties, to specified situations in which a merchant enters into a contract with another merchant.

For an online contract for successive performance that may be cancelled without cause, the merchant must provide an easily identifiable online button through which the consumer can exercise the cancellation right. Where a good or service is provided free of charge or at a reduced price for a specified period, the merchant must send a written notice stating when that period ends and the price that will apply afterward, between 2 and 10 days before the end of the period. For remotely provided services, charges imposed on a non-periodic basis must be displayed clearly beside the amount of the periodic payments, or stated immediately afterward when the advertisement is oral.

Ticket resale is subject to disclosure requirements concerning, among other things, the identity of the producer’s authorized seller, that seller’s advertised price, the fact that the ticket is being resold, the seat or place, and the ticket’s last owner. Digital platforms must state, upon access, that they are ticket-resale platforms and that tickets may be available at a lower price from the authorized seller. A resale price may not exceed the authorized seller’s advertised price unless the producer has given prior consent, the applicable agreement is respected, and the maximum authorized resale price was disclosed before the resale. The producer must promptly notify the authorized seller and any contracted reseller of an event cancellation or change in schedule or location; the seller or reseller must then notify the consumer. Ticket-transfer fees are prohibited, and certain technology intermediaries are deemed to resell, charge for, or facilitate the resale of tickets.

The bill also prohibits terms that prevent a consumer from publishing or communicating a review concerning a good or service offered by a merchant or the merchant’s conduct. A merchant that charges an amount contrary to an applicable prohibition must reimburse it, regardless of any service provided in return. The Act respecting the collection of certain debts (chapter R-2.2) is amended to permit the suspension or cancellation of a collection agent’s permit on specified financial or professional-conduct grounds. Regulatory amendments establish, among other measures, administrative monetary penalties of $750 for an individual and $1,500 in other cases for certain failures concerning contracts for successive performance. The bill also provides for penal offences, further administrative monetary penalties, and transitional and final provisions.

Section 187.29 of the Consumer Protection Act does not apply to contracts in progress on the date that section comes into force. Most provisions come into force three months after assent; section 1, paragraph 2 of section 2, and sections 10, 13, 14 and 16 come into force on the date of assent.