Convention organizers: Anthony D. Rosborough and Alissa Centivany
The sentiments of delegates at the 2026 Canadian Repair Convention at Dalhousie University in May could be summed up in three words: access, adaptability and resilience.
In spite of some legislative successes in Quebec and the passage in 2024 of federal bills amending the Copyright Act—Bills C-244 and C-294—there are still significant barriers to Right to Repair.
“When there are repair restrictions, markets shift from open and competitive to closed and controlled,” said Emily Holtby, Vice President, Government Relations, Automotive Industries Association (AIA) Canada.
“Our dream is to have a federal framework where enforcement would live within the regulations. All we want is a level playing field and open access.”
The convention attracted a diverse and passionate group drawn from the repair community: the auto sector, the Competition Bureau, the Electronics Recycling Association, the Software Freedom Conservancy, Source Reduction Équiterre, several Repair Cafés, iFixit, and of course, CMEPP.
In their different spheres, everyone is working hard to scaffold back a damaged and fragile repair system.
“Continue to build allies and work across party lines,” said former MP for Windsor-West Brian Masse. “Your work is crucial and becoming more so.”
Delegates were invited to bring broken items to an on-site repair café, where they could work with a team of local fixers.
At this groundbreaking event, we saw energy, conviction and renewed commitment to the importance of Right to Repair as a tool that makes our society more resilient.
Like our colleagues in the repair community, CMEPP will seize the momentum of this convention to push manufacturers for more transparency, compliance with legislation, and accountability.
