The aftermarket was out in force in Canada’s capital, engaging with federal Members of Parliament and other senior figures on the need for Right to Repair legislation..

On October 18, AIA Canada hosted a Parliament Hill Day, its first in over five years.

This major event, as part of a revamped advocacy program, brought 20 senior industry leaders from across Canada to Ottawa for meetings with 50 federal decision makers to discuss a top issue of concern for the auto care sector: the right to repair.

The day kicked off with a parliamentary breakfast, which included an all-party panel discussion on the current pieces of right to repair legislation before the House. Delegates then held face-to-face meetings throughout the day with their local Members of Parliament.

A number of high-level meetings took place, including with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, the Co-Chair of the Liberal Automotive Caucus, Conservative Automotive Caucus members, the Shadow Minister for Transport, and senior policy advisors to the Opposition Leader and Environment Minister.

Overall, MPs and Senators were very supportive, and AIA Canada is quickly mobilizing to capitalize on this momentum.

AIA Canada’ says its Parliament Hill Day was a great success, with two key objectives achieved: industry awareness and the association’s profile were strengthened, and traction was generated on the industry’s top advocacy issue.

This is the latest in a series of initiatives designed to keep ‘Right to Repair’ legislation on track in Canada.

There are currently two Right to Repair bills being considered. One which deals specifically with the Right to Repair issue in the automotive aftermarket that appears to be stalled, and another written to cover the issue more broadly, which is progressing through Parliament.

Neither is judged to be a comprehensive protection for access to repair tools and information however.

The new RighttoRepair.ca website is designed to help inform consumers and industry professionals of the issue as well as provide tools and talking point to help them communicate to their local Member of Parliament.

The tools included help aftermarket professionals:

• Write an email
• Make a phone call
• Request a meeting
• Invite your MP to tour your shop
• Send a Tweet

“We need all MPs to stand up for vehicle owners and the aftermarket, and support right to repair legislation in Canada that our petition demanded,” says AIA Canada. “We need to make sure they understand what’s at stake.”

AIA Canada has also put out the call to shops for examples the illustrate the impact that a blocking the aftermarket from obtaining tools, information and training can can have and to emphasize the importance of a legislative approach in a connected world, and that the existing CASIS voluntary agreement is not an effective initiative moving forward.

To help advance the cause of the aftermarket, AIA Canada is requesting real-world examples from the field:

• Where were the barriers?
• What did this mean for your customer?
• How did it impact your business and employees?

Contact Alana Baker at alana.baker@aiacanada.com to share your story.

For more information, visit aiacanada.ca and righttorepair.ca