Actively working with government and building awareness is resulting in wins for the aftermarket auto care sector.

With Parliament now in session as these words are typed, AIA Canada is continuing to focus on strengthening existing relationships and building ones with newly elected MPs. We continue to invite members of parliament to tour local auto care aftermarket businesses and participate in virtual meetings with our industry. 

Data access a key issue

As we move forward, Right to Repair and access to vehicle data remains a key issue for the auto care sector in Canada. We continue to call for federal, automotive specific legislation that guarantees access to vehicle repair data. This is essential to ensure Canadians have the freedom to select where their vehicles are serviced, repaired and maintained.

While our auto care sector fully embraces competition, we are increasingly seeing the push toward competing on an uneven playing field. The current voluntary agreement between vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the aftermarket auto care sector doesn’t consider the rapid advances in vehicle technology (including wireless systems) we’ve seen in the last two decades.

Without any enforcement mechanism, and with some OEMs choosing not to participate, the agreement no longer provides consistent or reliable access to vehicle repair data. As a result, it leaves both Canadian consumers and the aftermarket auto care sector vulnerable.

Education matters

This is why we continue to educate parliamentarians that fair right-to-repair legislation would ensure consumers have continued choice and access to competitive repair rates. It will also support the safe, cost-efficient maintenance of vehicles and protect over 500,000 Canadian jobs in the auto care sector.

Another issue that’s become front and centre for 2025 concerns tariffs. These remain a pressing concern for Canadian businesses. A diverse and competitively priced parts market is essential to keeping vehicle repair and maintenance affordable for drivers. Ongoing tariffs on auto parts not only increase costs but also threaten the long-term stability of the automotive sector. Our members have been particularly impacted by cross-border delays, supply disruptions, and the higher costs of doing business caused by tariffs, duties, and currency fluctuations. Like many Canadian industries, the aftermarket auto care sector is currently awaiting a resolution.

Pivotal year

On another note, 2025 has also been a pivotal year for Canadians as we witnessed our most recent federal election. During the election period, with outcome far from decided, it was critical that we engaged candidates across all parties on the priorities of the auto care industry. To maximize our reach, we built a centralized election platform that mobilized AIA Canada members and made it easy for candidates to hear directly from their constituents. Through a dedicated election microsite (AutoCareVotes.ca) and turnkey letter-writing tool, members sent nearly 300 personalized letters nationwide, raising awareness of the need for national right-to-repair legislation.

To reinforce these messages, we have and continue to maintain a strong public presence through social media, blogs, op-eds, and podcasts, ensuring our government relations and communications strategies work hand-in-hand. Local candidate site visits have further brought our issues to life, highlighting the real-world impact on communities.

As we move forward, it’s important to highlight the progress that has been made in our industry.

Significant precedent

Québec established a significant precedent in Canada with the enactment of Bill 29 (now Law 21), which amends the Consumer Protection Act to introduce robust right-to-repair provisions. These amendments mandate that automobile manufacturers ensure the availability of replacement parts, repair services, and essential repair information, including diagnostics and software updates. To enforce these provisions, the legislation introduces monetary administrative penalties for non-compliance. As of October 5, 2025, the Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC) can impose daily fines and for more severe or repeated infractions, penal fines can jump significantly.

The progress we’ve seen in Quebec is highly encouraging and indicative of what’s possible when industry and government collaborate effectively. AIA Canada continues to advocate for our industry to engage with legislators and parliamentarians and one way we’re actively doing this is via expansion on local government and grassroots initiatives. You can get involved by reaching out to me directly via email or signing up as a grassroots advocate at RightToRepair.ca.