Actually, Mr. Chair, it will be me, Ian Jack, who will be speaking first.
Hello, everyone.
Mr. Chair, honourable members, thank you for the invitation to appear before you today to speak about this topic.
As noted, my name is Ian Jack, and I am VP of public affairs. With me is Jason Kerr, our managing director of government relations.
Most of you, of course, will be familiar with our brand, founded in 1913. The Canadian Automobile Association is a federation of eight clubs, providing more than 6.8 million Canadians coast to coast with emergency roadside assistance as well as automotive insurance, rewards and travel services.
Importantly, CAA is also a not-for-profit that has always advocated on issues of concern to its members. Today those issues include road safety, the environment, mobility, infrastructure and consumer protection, which is why we're here today.
Why do we care about digital locks at CAA? The answer is simple: We want Canadians to have access to reasonably priced vehicle repairs. To do that, we need competition in the marketplace. That competition will come from local garages that have been a staple of all of our communities since time immemorial. We need to ensure their future health.
Why do we think vehicles are worth taking note of in a discussion about a law of general applicability? It's because vehicles and vehicle repairs are the most expensive thing most consumers will buy to which digital locks might apply. It's not their iPhone, not their toaster oven; it's their vehicle.
We view this legislation as ensuring technological neutrality, making sure the underlying principles of the existing legislation are respected as technology advances. Time was, mechanics with the proper tools could fix your vehicle. You had options as to where to buy those tools. Now, however, software, including diagnostic software, is king across most industries, including automotive. This has given various industries the opportunity to slap an electronic padlock on their products, to the detriment of consumer choice and price competition on repair.
We don't think this is right, at least not for consumers of vehicle repair. If restrictions are in place that prevent access to a vehicle's software that supports maintaining and servicing that vehicle, Canadians are left with limited options if their vehicle breaks down or is in a collision. They have little choice but to go through their dealership.
That's fine if that's what you as a consumer want, but Canadians should have the right to bring their vehicles to a garage of their choosing. As we've recently been reminded, prices do tend to go up over time. More competition will help with affordability. We'd also point out that not everyone lives a short drive from a dealership. Access to convenient and reasonably priced service should not be limited to those in big cities. In our view, it is important to ensure that those in the aftermarket who are attempting to diagnose, maintain and repair vehicles do not face obstacles such as technological protection measures that could restrict competition.
Indeed, in recent national opinion polling, CAA has found that a significant majority of Canadians agree that independent garages should have guaranteed access to manufacturers' software to diagnose and repair vehicles.
Bill C-244 is attempting to address a potential barrier to repairability, one that will help promote price discipline for consumers. For this reason, we support this bill.
We're further hopeful that passage of the bill would encourage automakers and the aftermarket to come together to outline the gaps in availability of repair data and its accessibility and to address them for today and for the vehicles of the future. That would be good for Canadian vehicle owners by ensuring future convenience, choice and price competition.
Thank you again for inviting us to appear before you today.
We look forward to your questions.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.