In connection with the Quebec government's pre-budget consultations, the RCCAQ attended a meeting on February 5 with Finance Ministry staffers and submitted its various requests in the form of a position paper entitled Supporting brokerage firms: a lever for economic recovery. The main points are summarized below.
Refocusing our activities on recruiting qualified workers
As regards efforts to recruit qualified workers, the RCCAQ has called on the provincial government to maintain adapted requalification programs enabling employees in crisis-hit industries to redirect their careers towards the insurance sector, where the demand for labour is very high. The RCCAQ is also asking the government to boost its profile at job fairs in order to promote these requalification opportunities.
Going digital: opportunities and precautions
As regards the digital transition, the RCCAQ has requested financial support for brokerage firms with a view to facilitating digital service delivery and the roll-out of new high-tech initiatives. Considering companies' growing information protection issues, the RCCAQ also suggests that the provincial government's service providers should be systematically requested to have cybersecurity insurance coverage in place.
Raising and addressing industry issues before consumers are affected
As regards industry issues, the RCCAQ intends to go into "solutions mode", such as swiftly launching a permanent discussion forum involving the AMF, the government and the industry. This opportunity for discussion is aimed at addressing key issues, including how the industry will evolve in the future, in addition to reflecting on and implementing concrete solutions concerning commercial insurance issues currently facing Quebec.
Providing consumers with better protection when they purchase or lease vehicles
As regards replacement insurance sales by auto dealerships, the RCCAQ is primarily calling on the government to review the system under which dealerships are authorized to sell replacement insurance products (QPF 5). The data derived from the most recent AMF reports,* particularly the fact that consumers pay on average 44% more for replacement insurance at dealerships than they do with certified insurance representatives, indicate that the way in which these exceptional provisions are applied should be reviewed immediately in order to better protect consumers.
We will take a more in-depth look at this topic in the next issue of Liaison +. In the meantime, the complete version (French only) of the position paper is available for consultation.
* Rapport d’analyse des divulgations 2019 des assureurs (lautorite.qc.ca) published in October 2020 and Rapport d’analyse des divulgations (lautorite.qc.ca) published in June 2020.
