Option consommateurs is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

consumer organization dedicated to promoting and defending the interests of

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

consumers. The organization was founded in 1983 and is based in

Montréal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

. Its focus areas are

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of hea ...

, agri-food, financial services, privacy, and commercial practices. Through the Éconologis program, an

energy efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to: * Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process ** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed ** Mechanical efficiency, a ra ...

program for low-income households run by the Quebec government's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Option consommateurs has offered free visits to low-income households in Montréal, wherein consumers are given personalized advice to improve their energy consumption, as well as new electronic thermostats.

Objectives

To achieve its mission, Option consommateurs pursues four objectives: *Promoting a respectful vision of socioeconomic rights and interests of consumers; *Empowering consumers and promoting their independence by helping, informing and representing their interests to decision makers; *Helping to balance the power between companies and consumers, and; *Promoting equitable legal and contractual rules with regard to consumers and businesses, ensuring their implementation and their respect.

Activity

Option consommateurs is leading a class action lawsuit application filed in the

Superior Court of Quebec The Superior Court of Quebec (french: Cour supérieure du Québec) is a superior trial court in the Province of Quebec, in Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the Que ...

on 22 March 2022 against several meat-processing companies, which are accused of conspiring to restrict competition in the production, supply, and sale of beef in Quebec. Sylvie De Bellefeuille, a lawyer with Option consommateurs and main plaintiff in the court filing, claims that since 2015 four companies worked to create a shortage in the beef market, thereby causing an upward movement in the price. In March 2022, Option consommateurs, along with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and the Quebec Association of Industrial Electricity Consumers, called on the Quebec government to require th
Régie de l'énergie du Québec
to freeze Hydro-Québec electricity rates. This follows an announcement by the crown corporation that it would increase rates in 2022 and 2023 in alignment with the rate of inflation. Later, Option consommateurs said that even if the law is modified to limit the increase to 3%, it was launching a petition asking the government to restore the power of the Régie de l'énergie du Québec to set electricity rates annually.

Funding

Option consommateurs has received funding from the Government of Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs for the years 2017 to 2023, and from

Centraide United Way Centraide Canada (french: Centraide United Way Canada) is the national organization for the 71 autonomous, volunteer-based United Ways and Centraides across Canada. The United Way Movement in Canada is a federated network of local Unite ...

of Greater Montreal. It also receives support from Chambre de la sécurité financière, Chambre des notaires du Québec, and the Government of Québec.

References

Political advocacy groups in Canada Consumer rights organizations {{Canada-org-stub