Aftermarket Gets PM’s Ear at Surprise Edmonton Summit

The automotive aftermarket and the Right to Repair Bill received an unexpected boost in profile at a meeting of Edmonton CEOs.

Dave Meunier, noted trainer and founder and past president of the Canadian Independent Automotive Association (CIAA), took advantage of the rare opportunity to sit with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to speak on the Right to Repair issue at the surprise meeting.

Harper visited DynEco Automotive, an Autopro shop owned by Meunier and Mark Stevens, to meet with 10 CEOs from different industries.

Meunier spoke on the Right to Repair issue, as well as the consequences of a voluntary agreement–which he referred to as a “handshake agreement”–and the potential costs of not having independent shops to service all Canadian vehicles.

Bill C-273, otherwise known as the Right to Repair Bill, will likely be reviewed by the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology by October’s end. If passed through this second reading, the bill has the potential to become law as early as next spring, giving independent service centres and technicians the same access to tooling and training information as their OEM dealership counterparts.

The voluntary agreement refers to Federal Industry Minister Tony Clement’s announcement last month that a Right to Repair agreement was reached between automakers and the aftermarket. However, lacking from the announcement in Ottawa, was any mention of the Right to Repair Bill currently working its way through the legislative process.