Credit and Debit Card Transaction Fees

Initiated by the CQCD, the Coalition is formed by a number of Quebec associations decided to address two separate problems: rising credit card transaction fees and the impact of the change in Interac's corporate structure and the entry of Visa and MasterCard into the debit market. The Coalition is persuaded that debit card transaction fees will rise significantly if those scenarios were to come about.

The associations in question are:

• Association des détaillants en alimentation du Québec (ADA)
• Association des Hôteliers du Québec (AHQ)
• Association des marchands dépanneurs et épiciers du Québec (AMDEQ)
• Association des restaurateurs du Québec (ARQ)
• Association des stations de ski du Québec (ASSQ)
• Association des terrains de golf du Québec (ATGQ)
• Association québécoise de la quincaillerie et des matériaux de construction (AQMAT)
• Association québécoise des Indépendants du pétrole (AQUIP)
• Association québécoise du propane
• Conseil des chaînes de restaurants du Québec (CCRQ)
• Conseil québécois du commerce de détail (CQCD)
• Division québécoise du Conseil canadien du commerce de détail

Our coalition represents more than 30,000 establishments in Quebec, in all regions, that employ nearly 1 million Quebecers.

Besides the signature of a petition by the members of associations and put down in the provincial governmental authorities, the Coalition began representations and raising awareness with the Quebecois and federal political parties to ask them for a frame of these rates.

Useful links

• Code of conduct for the credit and debit card industry in Canada
• The Quebecois coalition meets the caucus of Bloc Quebecois (in French only)
• The retailers ask the federal elected representatives to act! (in French only)
• The political class has to act to control the rates increases (in French only)
• Brief submitted by the Coalition québécoise contre la hausse des frais de transaction par carte de crédit et de débit
• Highlights of the senatorial report
• Letter from the Quebec coalition against increases in credit-card and debit-card transaction fees to the Minister of Finance of Canada's Task Force for the Payments System Review (in French only)
• The Minister Flaherty tuned in to the Canadian retailers