Canada’s Right to Repair: Navigating laws, politics and opposition, with Emily Holtby
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Canada’s automotive aftermarket is shifting, and the right to repair movement is picking up speed — but not without its share of roadblocks.
During her appearance on Auto Service World Conversations, AIA Canada’s vice president of government relations Emily Holby painted a picture of progress, but also ongoing challenges in the fight for fair repair laws.
It’s been just over a year since Holby stepped into her role, and she’s already seen big changes.
“What has happened in the last 12 months alone, from a political perspective, is something we could talk about all day,” she said during the discussion, which took place at AAPEX in the fall.
While two bills, C-244 and C-294, amended the Copyright Act— “an essential first step to achieving right to repair”—limitations remain she warned.
“They don’t mandate that data access from the automakers, and then, of course, there’s no enforcement penalties in place if they don’t comply with that data access. So we are still fighting for federal right to repair access.”
However, progress in Quebec has offered hope. As of October, the provincial legislation gives consumers access to the data, parts and manuals they need to fix their vehicles.
“Quebec is huge because it sets the momentum. So we get to point to Quebec every single day as kind of the leader on this file,” Holby said, adding that it proves governments can act, easing fears around cybersecurity and open data.
Legislative wins are only part of the challenge. Holby described an uphill battle against manufacturers with deep pockets but stressed that “every single argument that they present, we’ve got a very solid counter.”
One year ago, it seemed inevitable that there would be a change in government at the federal level. Things didn’t play out as expected, though there is a new prime minister in Mark Carney and a wave of fresh faces in Parliament.
While the Liberal government remains in power, Holby noted, “the energy is fully shifted,” and staying relevant means tailoring the right to repair message to new priorities like affordability, domestic growth, and sustainability.
The conversation also touches on labour shortages, upskilling, the future of EVs and government efforts to fight auto theft. Tune into the full discussion. Click the banner above or pick your platform of choice below to hear this episode. You can also access the full Auto Service World Conversations library for every episode.
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