After nearly 13 years, Denis Ducharme has stepped down from his role as President of the Motor Dealers’ Association of Alberta (MDA) on November 23, 2020 and is officially retiring.
In an interview with Canadian auto dealer, Ducharme said he has had a very exciting career that includes working for the family dealership and being a former Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the constituency of Bonnyville-Cold Lake for three terms.
The opportunity to join the MDA came up when he was considering returning to the family dealership after his MLA stint. At the time, the association was looking for a president and Ducharme was aware that there were some legislative issues that had to be dealt with.
“I applied for the job and I was successful in getting the job. But I was very shocked when they offered me a five-year contract, because I felt that within six months I would be able to have all the legislative issues addressed — which I did,” said Ducharme. “And then they just made it so good to continue to remain that just about 13 years later, I’m still here. So it was certainly a big decision to decide to retire.”
Ducharme’s contract had not yet expired, but he decided to take an early retirement due to a family member falling ill. He helped prepare new MDA president Gerald Wood to take the reins and lead the association.
Some of Ducharme’s key accomplishments over the years include the successful lobbying of the government by the MDA in several areas — including helping the provincial government understand that dealer plates were “a very special type of license plate” that were purchased and had different purposes.
“We were able to work with the Minister of Transportation at the time and explain to him the role that the dealer plate has in regards to the selling, repair and service of vehicles,” said Ducharme. “That was certainly something that has been very beneficial to the dealer since that change came in.”
In July 2011, amendments were made to regulations around the use of dealer plates. Some of the changes included having Section 74(3) repealed and therefore allowing an auto retailer to rent or lend a dealer plate to a prospective buyer. (More on that here.)
Ducharme also said the MDA helped with the revamping of the bill of sales to make them more transparent for the consumer, and worked in areas that have legislation dealing with the service and the selling of vehicles.
“In my days as a politician, I was the one responsible for carrying the Fair Trading Act, which at that time it was six different government bills put into one to basically make it a comprehensive law in terms of doing business,” said Ducharme.
The Fair Trading Act aims to protect consumers from unfair business practices before, during or after a transaction.
Ducharme also weighed in on Bill 203, the Fair Trading (Motor Vehicle Repair Pricing Protection for Consumers) Amendment Act that later followed and that was reportedly drafted without first consulting the industry. It aimed to protect consumers from unexpected repair charges and would have forced dealers to receive a written consent before any repairs are made and offer free estimates.
“The truth is that this bill is a harsh solution in search of a nonexistent problem,” said Ducharme in January 2017 during a second session with the Standing Committee on Families and Communities regarding the legislation. “The sponsor of Bill 203 has not attempted to estimate the extra costs that the 4,560 Alberta licensed repair businesses would incur if Bill 203 proceeds.”
Ducharme said there have been changes added to the bill over the years, but that the MDA has worked effectively on it. “I believe that we have a very good piece of legislation to provide consumer protection,” he said.
As for what the new president of the MDA will have to tackle over the next year, Ducharme cited an ongoing file that is related to the Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council (AMVIC), and which is overseen by the Minister of Service Alberta.
“There’s always refinements that have to be done to that piece of legislation in the processes, such as how they do investigations or inspections, at the dealers’ places of business,” said Ducharme. “Common sense should always be at the forefront when it comes to best practices.”
He also said dealers are not yet out of the woods when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that it will likely remain an issue over the next year. He said the auto retail industry must continue to work hard to ensure the proper protocols are implemented and that dealers never put their business at risk of no longer being considered an essential service.
“We have to do our best in terms of protecting both the consumers and also protecting our employees. That will be something that will be ongoing until COVID-19 becomes a distant memory,” said Ducharme.
As for parting words, he said the automotive industry is the best industry there is, and that it is being managed and run by qualified and professional dealers.
“The industry certainly makes a big contribution to the framework — not only the province of Alberta, but also across the country for all the dealer dealer personnel. I wish them all the best as they move forward,” said Ducharme.
