Ottawa-The debate over whether people should have the right to repair the various technologies of their everyday life will be the subject of a federal consultation on consumers’ choices and repair options from smart phones to washers and dryers.

The consultation is aimed at improving Canadians’ ability to repair home appliances and consumer electronics at a fair price rather than being forced to purchase a new product when one component fails, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said.

“This initiative is about giving consumers greater choice over, and information on, repair options for the products they buy,” they said. When Canadians can more easily repair technology, it saves them money and keeps waste out of landfills.

The consultation will serve to gather feedback from Canadians to inform the development of a federal right-to-repair or repairability policy approach focused on durability, repairability and interoperability for home appliances and consumer electronics. Also in the mix are two bills motivated in part by calls from agriculture organizations for farmers to have the right to repair their many machines. The bills from B.C. Liberal MP Wilson Miao and Saskatchewan Conservative MP Jerry Patzer await study, which could happen this fall, by a Senate committee having passed through the Commons and received second reading approval in the Senate. The government wants some amendments made to the bills before they pass.

Champagne said, “Canadian consumers expect their digital devices and home appliances to last for a long time and to be repairable. This public consultation will leverage the skills and knowledge available to guide our efforts to provide Canadians with a right to repair and, ultimately, contribute to making life more affordable.”

Guilbeault said “We need to reimagine how we produce and consume products to keep them in the economy and out of landfills for as long as possible. In a circular economy, devices and appliances should be easy to repair, and spare parts should be readily accessible. By throwing out less devices and appliances, we are using our resources more wisely and efficiently while reducing pollution and protecting our environment.”

The right to repair consultation was promised in Budget 2024 as part of the development of a federal policy approach. The government has amended the Competition Act to cover situations where parties harm competition in refusing to provide a means to diagnose or repair a product.

A federal right to repair approach would complement and support environmental initiatives such as the circular economy, which seeks to retain and recover as much value as possible from resources, including by reusing, repairing and remanufacturing products and materials, while additionally offering opportunities to spur innovation in product development and support long-term sustainable industrial policies and development.

Canadians can provide their input online to the consultation, which also involves Agriculture Canada, until Sept. 26 at the following link-https://ised-isde.survey-sondage.ca/f/s/RTR

This news item prepared for National Newswatch