End of parliamentary session in Quebec City – An opportunity for retailers, but urgent corrective measures to be taken

Montreal, June 6, 2025 – As the parliamentary session draws to a close in Quebec City, the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) welcomes the openness of the government: the tabling of Bill 112, which aims to facilitate interprovincial trade and labour mobility, points in a promising direction. This move, still at the intent stage, comes at a time when retailers are facing a glaring shortage of staff, increasing regulatory pressures and a lack of predictability in enforcing the rules.

“The session ends with an opening that we hope will last: the one represented by Bill 112, which aims to facilitate labour mobility and interprovincial trade. This is a welcome signal, in a context where retailers are short of staff, especially specialized ones. But in the meantime, other reforms – linguistic, environmental, trade – are piling up at a pace that is difficult to sustain, with too little time to adapt, significant costs and rules that change along the way. This gap between political intent and implementation on the ground must absolutely be corrected,” said Michel Rochette, President of RCC – Quebec.

Green light: government is open to concrete reductions

Bill 112 – An Act to facilitate the trade of goods and the mobility of labour from the other provinces and the territories of Canada – is seen as a positive signal by the retail sector. This is a structuring measure that could help reduce certain barriers to hiring and the movement of goods, while promoting the recognition of skills between provinces. The recent adoption of the Act to amend various provisions for the main purpose of reducing regulatory and administrative burden is also part of this logic of openness.

Yellow lights: reforms with destabilizing applications

Some recent measures pose serious challenges, despite laudable intentions. The extension of the signage obligations under the Act to protect consumers against abusive commercial practices to media that were not initially covered creates legal inaccuracies and costly logistical adjustments. The same goes for the upcoming implementation of the Planned Obsolescence Act, the regulations for which have still not been published, less than four months before it comes into force. In all cases, the lack of clarity and significant technical complexity, combined with unrealistic timelines, hampers retailers’ ability to comply.

Red Lights: Immigration, Language and Regulatory Inconsistencies

RCC is also concerned about recent government policies on immigration. While Bill 112 aims to facilitate labour mobility, the prevailing discourse on reducing admission thresholds creates a worrying contradiction. The retail sector needs reinforcements, here and now.

The hasty implementation of the language obligations under Bill 96, without sufficient room for adaptation, continues to create uncertainty, particularly with regard to labelling, digital signage and transactional platforms.

 

About the Retail Council of Canada

Founded in 1963, RCC is the Voice of Retail™ in Quebec and Canada. It brings together a diversity of retailers, ranging from large national chains to independent businesses, covering all retail sectors. RCC represents more than 54,000 businesses in Canada, including 18,000 in Quebec. The retail trade sector employs more than 483,000 people in Quebec and generates nearly $131 billion annually, or 21% of Canadian retail sales. retailcouncil.org.

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For more information, please contact:
Francis Mailly
Vice-President, Public Affairs (Quebec)
Retail Council of Canada
514 891-2617
fmailly@cccd-rcc.org