MONTREAL -- Quebecers who spent thousands of dollars in travel expenses before the pandemic can now hope to be reimbursed in full.
The Minister of Justice and the person responsible for the Office of Consumer Protection, Simon Jolin-Barrette, pledged Wednesday to find a short-term solution that will ensure that consumers can get their money back.
Whether it's airlines, insurance companies or credit companies, all players will have to honour their commitments if the service has not been provided, the minister said.
While studying the office's budgetary appropriations, Jolin-Barrette observed that these industry players were passing the buck to each other to avoid paying.
"The legal framework must be improved," he said, adding that he wants to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
"I will make sure that Quebec consumers do not lose the money they paid for vacations, with family or alone," he said. "All players will have to pay what they have to pay."
Join-Barrette is preparing a "global" solution that will cover all consumer contracts.
Even in the case, for example, of a plane ticket purchased from Air Canada, a company subject to federal regulations, the minister believes that Quebec has the jurisdiction it needs to find a solution.
"We will make sure to find a mechanism to ensure that a Quebec consumer who has contracted with an airline for the purchase of a flight is reimbursed," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2020.
