Driving change: How the right to repair shaped our advocacy in 2025

2025 was a year of disruption and momentum for Canada’s auto care sector. From trade tensions and a federal election to groundbreaking right to repair regulations in Quebec and strengthened global alliances, AIA Canada members helped keep repair access, affordability, and consumer choice at the centre of national and international conversations. Here is how the year unfolded—and how your advocacy is driving lasting change. 

A turbulent start: Trade war, an election, and a call to action 

The year opened with political and economic headwinds. Escalating United States (U.S.) tariffs created new uncertainty for cross-border trade, while Canada headed into a federal election that would shape the country’s economic and industrial strategy for years to come. 

AIA Canada responded quickly. To ensure the auto care sector had a strong voice in this crucial moment, we launched AutoCareVotes.ca, our first national election hub dedicated to mobilizing members and putting right to repair front and centre in candidate conversations. 

• Nearly 300 letters were sent to candidates across the country. 

• Independent shops opened their doors to local candidates, showing firsthand how the right to repair supports: 

• Affordability for drivers 

• Small business resilience 

• Competition and consumer choice 

These efforts helped position the right to repair not as a niche issue, but as a practical solution for Canadians facing rising costs and uncertainty. 

After the election: Aligning with a new federal mandate 

With the Liberals securing another term in office, AIA Canada sharpened its advocacy to align with the government’s stated priorities: 

• Economic sovereignty 

• Support for domestic industries 

• Affordability for Canadians 

• Sustainability and environmental responsibility 

Right to repair touches all of these themes. Ensuring independent access to vehicle data, tools, and parts is essential for a competitive, affordable, and resilient repair ecosystem. 

Throughout 2025, AIA Canada engaged federal officials and key provincial partners in Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, keeping right to repair on the agenda as governments responded to trade uncertainty and evolving economic pressures. 

Quebec leads the way: Right to repair regulations come into force 

A major milestone arrived on October 5, 2025, when new right to repair regulations came into effect in Quebec, once again positioning the province as a leader in consumer protection and repair access. 

Working closely with government officials and the Consumer Protection Office, AIA Canada focused on practical implementation support for members, including: 

• Guidance materials tailored to the new regulatory requirements 

• Resource links to help shops navigate compliance 

• A bilingual webinar to ensure both English- and French-speaking members were prepared for the transition 

This moment is about more than one province: Quebec’s regulatory model provides important lessons and momentum for future national right to repair frameworks. Over the next 12 months, AIA Canada will be monitoring the rollout and its impact on independent repairers and drivers. 

Global collaboration: Elevating Canada’s voice on the world stage 

Right to repair is not just a Canadian issue—it is a global movement. Through the Associations in Motion (AIM) network, AIA Canada continues to represent the interests of Canadian members in international discussions, sharing insights and aligning strategies with partners around the world. Highlights from 2025 include: 

• Autopromotec, Italy, in May: AIA Canada attended one of the world’s premier aftermarket events, participating in strategic planning sessions with international right to repair partners, and exchanging perspectives on emerging trends, regulatory approaches, and shared challenges. 

• Auto Care Association’s Legislative Summit, Washington, D.C., in September: 
  In meetings with Congressional offices, we supported the U.S. Repair Act and advocated for harmonized repair standards across North America—critical for cross-border trade, consistent repair access, and a level playing field for businesses. 

• AAPEX, Las Vegas (November): AIA Canada met with global AIM partners to align on shared advocacy priorities, as governments worldwide continue to take action on right to repair. These global relationships help ensure that Canadian policy is informed by international best practices—and that Canadian voices are heard in global conversations. 

On-the-ground advocacy: Members of Parliament, media, and momentum 

In 2025, our advocacy was grounded in the realities facing shops, distributors, and suppliers across the country. 

Over the summer, AIA Canada surveyed its national membership to better understand priorities and pressures. The results were clear: 

• 79 per cent of members identified right to repair as their top issue 

• 100 per cent agreed it must remain AIA Canada’s primary policy focus 

These findings have shaped our priorities through the fall and beyond, reinforcing what we hear every day: that predictable, fair access to repair data, tools, and parts is essential for business viability and consumer trust. Following the election, we ramped up our grassroots and political engagement: 

• Meetings with Members of Parliament (MPs) on Parliament Hill and in local ridings 

• Member participation in outreach and communication with elected officials 

• Strategic media engagement to keep the right to repair in the public and political spotlight 

National visibility grew through opinion pieces published in The Hill Times and Autosphere, helping to build understanding of why the right to repair matters for affordability, competition, and innovation. 

To support concrete policy outcomes, AIA Canada also made recommendations in the federal budget process, positioning right to repair as a practical, implementable solution to: 

• Offset the impact of tariffs 

• Strengthen Canada’s competitiveness 

• Support domestic jobs and investment in the auto care sector 

Thank you for driving change 

None of this progress would be possible without you. Your leadership, letters, meetings with MPs, shop visits, survey responses, and community engagement have made one message impossible to ignore: Canadians deserve a fair, affordable, and competitive repair ecosystem. 

As we head into what promises to be a defining year in 2026, AIA Canada will continue to: 

• Push for national right to repair legislation 

• Support our members in adapting to new provincial and federal frameworks 

• Elevate your stories to show how policy decisions play out in real shops, on real vehicles, for real Canadians 

If you have a story, challenge, or success to share, we want to hear it. Share your advocacy story today by contacting Emily Holtby, vice president, government relations, at AIA Canada.