The RCCAQ held its traditional annual Parliament Hill Day in Québec City on May 10. With four in-person meetings and two online, the 2022 edition was nothing less than a resounding success!

Keeping in mind the RCCAQ’s mission, namely defending and promoting its members’ interests and supporting their development, the Board members and representatives of the head office team held talks with elected officials, ministerial staffers and senior civil servants. The RCCAQ took the opportunity to lay out its priorities and discuss key issues of interest of concern to its members.

This was also a good opportunity to provide an update on the digital transformation and cybersecurity issues, including cyber-risks. The RCCAQ is proud to have been awarded a grant for its digital transition project and would like to thank the provincial government for its support. Nevertheless, it was important to reiterate the importance of cybersecurity and the need to obtain additional support with a view to vigorously protecting the data of brokerage firms’ clients.

During the discussions we emphasized how brokerage firms are also vulnerable to the vagaries of the labour shortage, as well as training challenges and efforts to promote and celebrate the profession. The RCCAQ discussed ways to optimize the recruitment and training process, including the need to maintain requalification programs.

The impact of Bill 96 (French as Québec’s official and common language) gave rise to some interesting and highly relevant discussions. The RCCAQ is aware of how important this legislation is to its members, which is why its representatives took the time to verify and clarify their understanding of the adopted amendments that impact brokers.

Other equally important points were also raised, including issues surrounding commercial insurance, fair treatment of consumers, Bill 82 and insurance products marketed by auto dealerships.

Thanks to these meetings, the RCCAQ is now in a good position to put forward its recommendations. The RCCAQ’s Board is proud to be forging closer ties with elected officials with a view to obtaining support for certified brokers’ efforts and ensuring that the legislative and regulatory frameworks encourage healthy competition and do not negatively impact the insurance industry.

In the next few weeks, we will be following up with an eye to continuing the dialogue.