Election 2021: What matters to the aftermarket, matters to Canadians

AIA Canada’s election message

AIA Canada’s key message to all candidates during the election period is:

Canadian consumers should keep their right to repair their vehicle at the service facility of their choice.

Canadian consumers could lose their long-standing right to repair their vehicle if automakers control the vehicle data needed for repairs and only share it with certain service facilities. This would drastically reduce competition in the vehicle repair sector and impact the entire aftermarket supply chain.

The continued right of Canadians to repair their vehicle at the service facility of their choice is dependent on the aftermarket having direct, real-time access to a vehicle’s data.

The success of the Your Car. Your Data. Your Choice.™ campaign

The Your Car. Your Data. Your Choice.™ (YCYD) campaign launched by AIA Canada pushed this same message, to government, the public and industry, using different language.

Thus far, the campaign has been a success. Over 43,000 Canadians have signed the petition at change.org. We quickly secured the required signatures to table a petition in the House of Commons on the issue of your car, your data. The campaign captured the attention of mainstream media, allowing our message to reach the general public. Interviews were hosted with CTV North, CTV Toronto and CBC Saskatchewan.

The pivot to right to repair

Right to repair refers to the consumer’s right to choose who repairs the products that they own. This includes cell phones, computers, washing machines and televisions. It also includes vehicles.

The global movement has been gaining momentum. Bills calling for consumer’s right to repair have been introduced at the provincial and federal levels making it more likely that right to repair will be an election issue. In 2021, 25 of the 50 U.S. states are considering right to repair legislation. What’s more, right to repair legislation related to the automotive industry has been passed before in Canada, the U.S. and Australia to ensure consumers were able to repair vehicles outfitted with on-board diagnostics at the service provider of their choice.

Canadian consumers also agree that they should have the right to repair their vehicle. AIA recently procured the public polling services of Abacus Data. Findings reveal:

• 94% of respondents agree that Canadians should be able to have their vehicle serviced at the service facility of their choice;
• over 3 in 4 respondents say they would be either less likely or would not purchase a brand of vehicle if it could only be serviced at an authorized dealership;
• 83% of respondents agree that automakers should be required by law to share data with independent auto shops.

For these reasons, during the election, we have repurposed resources from the Your Car. Your Data. Your Choice.™ campaign so that they resonate more with the right to repair movement.

The future of the YCYD campaign

The YCYD campaign is not finished. Rather, it is being put on hold during the election. The campaign website and accompanying resources are no longer live but can be readily re-activated. After the election, we will assess what the most effective approach for advocating for consumer control of vehicle data is.