What up-to-date resources compare the profusion of consumer protection legislations, particularly across Canadian provinces and territories? How can tourists pick the jurisdictions with the most consumer-friendly laws, in Canada?
Many travelers do not know, or are stunned to find out when something goes awry, the fact that each Canadian province, territory enact their own consumer protection. Canadian consumer law does not fall under federal jurisdiction. Canada's federal Competition Act is too limited, and was not intended, to fully protect consumers.
Even lawyers probably cannot know about, keep abreast of, or compare, the consumer laws for each Canadian jurisdiction that change constantly — British Columbia's Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act, SBC 2004 vs. Alberta's Consumer Protection Act, RSA 2000 vs. Ontario's Consumer Protection Act, 2002 vs. Quebec's Consumer Protection Act, CQLR c P-40.1.
Can anyone think up a better example from comparative law? This example feels unrealistic, as most shopping tourists cannot afford to spend $100,000 AUD!
Australia's "Treasury Laws Amendment (Acquisition as Consumer—Financial Thresholds) Regulations 2020 (Regulations) increased the monetary threshold for determining whether a person acquires goods or services as a “consumer” under section 3(1)(a) of the ACL from $40,000 to $100,000." But England and Wales's Consumer Rights Act 2015 does not define "consumer" by purchase price. If a tourist can buy the same item between Australia and England, then she may choose England in opposition to Australia's more restrictive definition of "consumer".
