Description:
The alternative consumer credit market (ACCM) in Canada consists of cheque cashing outlets, 'payday' and 'instant auto' loan companies, rent-to-own outlets and pawnbrokers. These are credit grantors that address a consumer demand for small-sum short-term credit and/or that generally target lower income groups.
The Consumer Measures Committee working group on the ACCM – chaired by British Columbia, with representation from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Québec and the Federal Government – is examining ways to apply the equity principle to the ACCM. That is, how can an equivalent level of consumer protection be afforded consumers in the ACCM as that enjoyed by consumers in the traditional credit marketplace? In so doing, the working group is faced with two primary issues:
- Regulation – how to best foster and ensure an ‘alternative' credit industry which can provide services to consumers who cannot or do not use traditional sources of financing for their short term credit needs.
- Education – how to make consumers aware of the relative costs and implications of borrowing in the ACCM.
Publications:
- 2009 - Summary of report "Affordable Credit Options for Vulnerable Consumers"
Professor Jerry Buckland, University of Winnipeg - Print version (PDF, 44KB)
- February 2000 - Access to Credit in the Alternative Consumer Credit Market Professor Iain Ramsay, Osgoode Hall Law School
- Print version (PDF, 280KB)
Consultations:
- 2005 - Stakeholder Consultation Document on a Proposed Consumer Protection Framework for the Alternative Consumer Credit Market
- HTML version
- Print version - complete document (PDF, 76KB)
- Print version - proposed framework only (PDF, 58KB)
- Print version - questionnaire only (PDF, 33KB)
- 2003 - Alternative Consumer Credit Market Consultation
- HTML version
- Print version (RTF, 52KB)
- Print version (PDF, 52KB)
Members:
The Working Group is no longer active. If you have any questions, please direct them to:
E-mail : info@cmcweb.ca
For all media enquiries please call (613) 943-2502.
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