Question Period Note: CONCERT AND SPORT TICKET FAIRNESS

What is the Government doing to prevent deceptive marketing practices, including hidden fees and charges, in the sale of concert and sport tickets?

• When it comes to sporting and event tickets, Canadians deserve transparent, up-front pricing, and fair practices.
• The Government of Canada is doing its part to protect Canadians against deceptive marketing practices, including hidden fees and charges.
• The ongoing modernization of the Competition Act provides significant new resources to the Competition Bureau to better execute its mandate, including protecting against deceptive marketing practices.
• Budget 2024 proposes working with the provinces and territories to ensure ticket sales transparency and prevent unexpected charges; ensure timely refunds of ticket purchases for cancelled events; and crack down on fraudulent resellers and unfair reseller practices.

The Government of Canada has taken significant action to crack down on junk fees, including:
• Directing the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to improve competition and support consumers;
• Introducing the Financial Consumer Protection Framework Regulations to help Canadians avoid fees; and
• Amending the Air Passenger Protection Regulations.

With regards to ticket sales transparency more specifically, the government proposed two series of amendments to the Competition Act to strengthen protections against hidden prices:

• In Bill C-19, which received Royal Assent in June 2022, the government clarified that displaying unattainable prices will be understood as false or misleading representations under the Act.
• In Bill C-59, which is at second reading in the House of Commons, the government extended this clarification to anti-spam enforcement and enabled private parties to bring deceptive marketing claims directly to the Competition Tribunal.

In Budget 2024, the Government of Canada announced that it will work with provinces and territories and encourage them to adopt best practice requirements for ticket sales, with three priority goals:
• Ticket sales transparency, to continue to protect Canadians from unexpected charges through upfront, all-in pricing;
• Stronger protections for Canadians, including against excess fees and better ensuring they get timely refunds when events are cancelled; and,
• Cracking down on fraudulent resellers and reseller practices which unfairly drive up prices, such as using bot technology to maliciously buy and resell tickets.

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