Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette says his government’s proposed law<\/a> is designed to make the ticket market more transparent and protect Quebec artists and venues.\u00a0<\/p>\n Quebec\u2019s Bill 10, which is expected to pass into law next month, overhauls key sections of the province\u2019s Consumer Protection Act.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we want is more transparency,\u201d said Jolin-Barrette in an interview with CBC News.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf people want to buy tickets on a resale website, it\u2019s their choice, but they will have all the information to make the best choice with the money they have.\u201d<\/p>\n Right now, many people are not aware they are buying tickets from a resale platform, said Jolin-Barrette.<\/p>\n Under the new legislation, ticket resale platforms have to disclose \u2014 clearly and prominently \u2014 that it\u2019s a resale platform and there may be tickets at a lower price from the official seller.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bill 10 would also require resale sites to reveal how much the ticket originally cost, who is reselling it and all the associated fees.<\/p>\n If the resale platform doesn\u2019t physically possess the tickets, they can\u2019t sell them. If they do, Quebec\u2019s consumer protection agency can issue fines, said Jolin-Barrette.<\/p>\n The legislation doesn\u2019t include a hard cap on resale tickets, unlike neighbouring Ontario, where Premier Doug Ford is trying to crack down on resellers<\/a> posting tickets for more than face value.<\/p>\n Jolin-Barrette said Quebec decided against an all-out ban on ticket resale platforms because it would create an illegal market.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the jurisdictions where they choose to go with the prohibition of resale tickets, we see that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He thinks the new legislation will still permit a free market, but help prevent consumers from being misled or defrauded.<\/p>\n The province also believes the law will better protect Quebec artists and the province\u2019s entertainment industry.<\/p>\n \u201cThese websites right now are really cultural parasites,\u201d said Jolin-Barrette. \u201cThey make money on the work of the artists, on the work of the producer and they don\u2019t put any energy into that.\u201d<\/p>\n It will be up to the event producer or promoter to decide whether they want to allow resale and if those prices can exceed the official seller\u2019s original price.<\/p>\n If an event is postponed or cancelled, resellers must immediately pass that information on to ticket buyers.<\/p>\n But some consumer advocacy groups aren\u2019t convinced Quebec\u2019s legislation will be able to keep up with how quickly the ticket resale market is evolving.<\/p>\n Option Consommateurs would like to see Quebec\u2019s consumer protection office start an economic analysis team to keep an eye on it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe may need to legislate further,\u201d said Alexandre Plourde, a lawyer and analyst at Option Consommateurs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe question is how. Should we include terms in resale agreements that prohibit, for example, promoters from taking a percentage of the resale? Should we completely ban resale?\u201d<\/p>\n Buying tickets \u2014 be it for your favourite artist or sports team \u2014 is often an emotional purchase, said Plourde.<\/p>\n For popular concerts or events, the demand is always much higher than supply.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no simple solution to this problem,\u201d said Plourde. \u201cThere will always be people willing to pay a very high price to get tickets.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, he said, the new law will help make it easier for consumers to navigate the ticket market.\u00a0<\/p>\n Option Consommateurs was among those behind a class-action lawsuit<\/a> against the ticket reseller Billets.ca, for not making it clear the tickets were being resold, not showing the original price and not obtaining the consent of the producer to charge more than face value. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAll this information is currently unclear on resale platforms, which is why we\u2019re tightening things up a bit in this bill,\u201d Plourde said.<\/p>\n Ontario\u2019s new law, which went into effect last month, bans people from selling or enabling the sale of tickets for more than they were originally bought.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fines for violations can range from $3,000 to $250,000.<\/p>\n In response, FIFA removed World Cup tickets<\/a> from its marketplace that were being resold for upcoming Toronto games. <\/p>\n Ticketmaster also rejigged its site<\/a> to prevent tickets from being listed for more than face value.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779291789_469_default.jpg\")
Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette says the legislation is aimed at making the ticket resale market more transparent. (Sylvain Roy Roussel\/CBC)No blanket ban<\/p>\n![\"fans](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779291790_826_default.jpg\")
Mercedes driver George Russell celebrates after winning the Formula One race in Montreal last June. (Christinne Muschi\/The Canadian Press)More legislation needed?<\/p>\n![\"woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779291790_426_default.jpg\")
Olivia Rodrigo in London last year. Her two shows at the Bell Centre this fall sold out quickly, and resale tickets are now going for far more than the original sale price. (Millie Turner\/Invision\/Associated Press)Can Ontario\u2019s cap be enforced?<\/p>\n
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