A Montreal group is seeking permission to launch a class-action lawsuit against Air Canada, claiming the airline is failing to comply with new consumer laws that went into force at the beginning of the month.
Article 224 (see bottom of page 10) of the new legislation states that the announced price must now include all charges the consumer must pay in exchange for the good or service. However, the price cannot include the QST (Quebec sales tax) or GST. The announced price must clearly stand out from the breakdown of the total.
As the Montreal Gazette reports, the suit was filed Friday afternoon in Quebec Superior Court on behalf of the Union des consommateurs and Notre Dame de Grâce resident Michael Silas. It claims that Air Canada has violated the new consumer protection law because the airline does not include all extra fees, including fuel surcharges, in the price of a ticket when advertised online, which it says is against the new consumer law.
Paul Unterberg of law firm Unterberg, Labelle, Lebeau said if the suit is successful, anyone who bought a ticket online in Quebec would be eligible for a reward. The suit is asking Air Canada to pay the difference between the advertised price and the actual price to all people who have made purchases online from July 1 until the company's pricing policy changes.
