Hon. Danièle Henkel: Senator Moreau, the government recently announced that it is doing away with the Office of Consumer Affairs and the Canadian Consumer Protection Initiative.

For over 25 years, this program has been supporting independent research and representing consumers in debates on the cost of living, financial services, telecommunications and business practices.

In 2023, the government even tripled the funding for this program because it felt that this expertise was essential to consumer protection.

Why is the government now choosing to eliminate one of the main sources of independent consumer expertise at a time when Canadians are so concerned about the cost of living and the rise in fraud?

Hon. Pierre Moreau (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for that important question, Senator Henkel. As you know, the government was elected on a promise to review all government spending and ensure that there is no duplication of effort.

There are many other organizations, in addition to the Office of Consumer Affairs, that continue to provide Canadians with robust mechanisms for reporting concerns and contributing to a fair and transparent market. These include the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Competition Bureau Canada and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency that protects and promotes competition for the benefit of Canadian consumers and businesses.

Most of Canadians’ daily transactions are regulated at the provincial and territorial level, and the federal government intends to continue working with the provinces and territories to ensure that consumers across the country are well protected.

Senator Henkel: Senator Moreau, abolishing the Office of Consumer Affairs would save — since we’re talking about savings — only about $2.6 million a year in a federal budget of more than $500 billion. It’s an extremely modest sum. How can the government justify its decision to weaken consumer representation in order to save such a small amount of money?

Senator Moreau: Senator Henkel, my grandmother would answer that every penny counts. She told me that often over the years.

The government was elected on a promise to review all spending, and I think that $2.6 million is a step in the right direction.

However, the government does not intend to diminish consumer protection. On the contrary, my answer to your initial question was that there are other agencies and that the different levels of government — federal, provincial and territorial — are collaborating to ensure that consumers across the country are very well protected.