On June 12, 2026, Bill 10, titled the “Act to protect consumers against abusive practices related to ticket resale and online subscription renewals” (“Bill 10”), received assent. Through this reform, the Québec legislature has tightened the framework applicable to certain commercial practices, particularly with respect to online subscriptions, termination of contracts involving sequential performance, and ticket resale. Bill 10 amends, among other things, the Consumer Protection Act (“CPA”) and the Regulation respecting the application of the Consumer Protection Act (the “Regulation”). Most of its provisions will come into force on September 12, 2026, while certain provisions came into force on June 12, 2026.
Contracts Involving Sequential Performance
Online Cancellation Button
Under Bill 10, a merchant who enters into an online contract involving sequential performance that the consumer may terminate without cause must provide the consumer with an online cancellation button that is easily accessible and readily identifiable. This mechanism must enable consumers to exercise their cancellation rights without difficulty, that is, without procedural detours or disproportionate cancellation requirements (for example, requiring a telephone call).
The scope of this new obligation is broad. Subject to certain exceptions, including deposit account contracts, it is not limited to any specific category of online contracts (e.g., service contracts) or to any particular type of goods or services. As a result, many merchants may need to revise their technological platforms to incorporate such a cancellation mechanism.
Renewal Notice When the Price Changes
Merchants will also be required to provide consumers with a notice between 2 and 10 days before the end of a period during which a service or product is offered free of charge or at a reduced price (notably as part of a free trial), where the price will increase upon expiry of that period. The notice must be clear and legible and specify the date on which the promotional period ends as well as the new price applicable as of that date.
Where cancellation may result in the loss of a telephone number, the merchant must also inform the consumer, before cancellation, of the steps required to keep that number.
It is nevertheless provided that the obligation to notify the consumer of the end of a free or reduced-price period will not apply to contracts that are in force on September 12, 2026.
Disclosure of Non-Recurring Charges Related to Services Provided at a Distance
In addition, merchants providing remote services, including telephone or cable distribution services, will be required, when advertising the amount of the periodic payments required to obtain such a service, to indicate clearly and legibly, next to that amount, the amount of any charges imposed on a basis other than periodically.
Prior to these changes, the CPA did not contain specific requirements regarding the presentation of online cancellation mechanisms, the timing of notices relating to the end of free trials or promotional periods, or the display of non-recurring charges alongside recurring charges. These new obligations will therefore require particular attention from merchants offering these types of contracts.
Ticket Resale
Bill 10 also introduces several new rules with respect to the resale of event tickets. In this regard, it should be recalled that the CPA already defines a “ticket” as any document or instrument that, on presentation, grants the ticket holder admission to a show, sporting event, cultural event, exhibition or any other kind of entertainment.
Digital platforms dedicated to ticket resale will now be required to inform the consumer, as soon as the consumer accesses the platform, that it is a resale platform and that tickets may be available at a lower price from the seller authorized by the event producer. This requirement also applies to platforms offering both primary-sale and resale tickets.
In addition, resellers will be required to disclose several elements before being able to sell a resale ticket to a consumer, including:
- the identity of the seller authorized by the event producer, the possibility that tickets may be available from that seller and the price advertised by that seller;
- the fact that the ticket is being resold;
- the place or seat the ticket allows the holder to occupy, except where the ticket does not provide for a specific location or seat;
- the name of the last owner of the ticket.
Resellers will also be required to inform the consumer, in a prominent and intelligible manner, of the breakdown of the amounts making up the total price payable, which must notably indicate the value of the ticket at the time of its issuance as well as the nature of all fees charged.
The price charged for resale tickets may no longer exceed the price advertised by the seller authorized by the event producer, unless certain conditions are met.
Finally, any person who, through technological means, enables a third party to resell an event ticket and receive its price will be deemed to be carrying out the resale, charging the price or facilitating the resale and will therefore be subject to the obligations applicable to ticket resale.
Other New Rules and Penalties
Bill 10 also provides that it will henceforth be prohibited to include in a consumer contract any stipulation that would prevent the consumer from publishing or communicating a review regarding a good or service, or regarding the conduct of the merchant.
Moreover, a merchant who requires payment of an amount whose collection is prohibited by the CPA or its Regulation will be legally required to reimburse that amount to the consumer, without prejudice to the consumer’s other rights and remedies.
Additional powers are also granted to the President of the Office de la protection du consommateur under the Act Respecting the Collection of Certain Debts (“ARCD”), allowing the President to suspend or cancel a collection agent’s permit in the following circumstances:
- the ARCD, the associated regulations or the conditions governing the issuance of the permit are not complied with;
- the financial situation of the collection agency no longer allows it to assume the obligations arising from its activities;
- the collection agency can no longer ensure, in the public interest, the honest and competent exercise of its principal activity.
Finally, Bill 10 also creates penal offences and provides for administrative monetary penalties in order to sanction failures to comply with certain of the new obligations that it introduces.
Subject to certain exceptions, the new provisions resulting from Bill 10 will come into force on September 12, 2026. Impacted businesses should therefore use the transition period to review their contractual practices, online interfaces and disclosure processes in order to ensure compliance with the new requirements. For any questions regarding the scope of these changes or their practical implications, please do not hesitate to contact the authors.
