Consumers deserve a break. The reality is consumers are facing fewer choices and have fewer rights in many sectors.
This is particularly the case with telecommunication, something that comes under federal jurisdiction.
In our region, consumers now have less choice with the sale of MTS to Bell. Despite objections about how this lessened competition, this was approved by the federal government.
On top of this, there have been new revelations showing how telecommunications companies are acting deliberately to limit consumer rights.
Α recent Canadian and Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) report revealed how telecom sales practices are hurting consumers. Specifically, it documented the degree to which these companies are using aggressive and misleading marketing at the expense of consumers.
The report revealed the unfair sales practices of 12 Canadian providers of wireless and internet services, including some of the country’s largest telecommunications companies. The misleading and aggressive practices existed in stores, online, over the telephone and at homes when companies conduct door-to-door sales campaigns. The CRTC exposed that those significantly impacted were the most vulnerable members of the public such as seniors, people with disabilities and Canadians whose first language is not English or French.
Our caucus has called on the Privacy Commissioner and the Competition Bureau to launch investigations into how Canadians’ privacy and consumer rights were violated by telecom companies exposed in the CRTC’s Report on Misleading or Aggressive Communications Retail Sales Practices.
It is time for the federal government to act to protect consumers.
