Dataset Description
Under the laws under the responsibility of the Agency, the following merchants must hold a license from the Agency to carry on their activities:
- travel agents;
- debt collection agents;
- itinerant retailers (they solicit consumers in order to make a sale or make sales elsewhere than where their business is established, i.e. by door-to-door, at a kiosk on the street or at the mall, etc.);
- retailers of additional guarantees relating to a car or motorcycle adapted for transport on public roads;
- operators of health studios (fitness center or weight loss center, for example);
- road vehicle dealers;
- road vehicle recyclers;
- merchants who enter into a high-cost credit agreement;
- debt settlement service providers who negotiate with consumer creditors or who receive money to distribute to them;
- money lenders.
The obligations to which these traders must comply allow the Office to ensure compliance with legislative provisions in areas of activity where the risk is considered to be more significant.
Each license category is linked to financial protection mechanisms for consumers. These mechanisms allow consumers to be compensated in certain situations.
A merchant has a valid license when he has received authorization from the President of the Office to carry on his activities and has renewed his permit on the scheduled date, if applicable.
Certain categories of traders can obtain exemptions by submitting a bond, which has the effect of exempting them from legal obligations, in particular that of depositing into a trust account the money received for goods whose delivery is scheduled to be delivered more than two months after the purchase.
Organization: Government and Municipalities of Québec | Gouvernement et municipalités du Québec
Last modified: 2026-05-06T16:01:26.072775