Provincial Elections: The Resources of the Consumer Protection Office Are a Major Concern
Provincial Elections: The Resources of the Consumer Protection Office Are a Major Concern
With the provincial elections just a few days away, the issue of funding for the Office of Consumer Protection is a topic of debate, even though none of the major parties is proposing a specific financial commitment.
According to public data, the Office has a budget of approximately $16 million for 2026–2027, nearly $2 million less than the previous year. It currently has 121 employees, 69 of whom are assigned to oversight duties.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, the OPC handled more than 74,000 inquiries, received nearly 30,000 complaints, and filed 119 criminal charges.
Québec Solidaire is the only one of the five major parties to have clearly spoken out in favor of a substantial increase in the Office’s resources, though it has not quantified its commitment.
The CAQ is not committing to increasing funding for the OPC. Finance Minister Éric Girard states that organizations must first assess their own needs.
The Parti Québécois and the Liberal Party, on the other hand, wish to examine ways to improve the Office’s efficiency before considering new resources.
The Quebec Conservative Party did not respond to questions from Protégez-Vous on this subject.
For their part, the Union des consommateurs and Option consommateurs consider the current funding to be insufficient. Option consommateurs specifically proposes a 5% annual increase in the OPC’s budget.
The Office asserts, however, that it has the necessary resources to fulfill its mandate and emphasizes that recent legislative changes have strengthened its powers and tools for taking action.
