Quebec wants to target online identity fraud

Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette during question period on February 25, 2026. (The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot)

The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government wants to crack down on online fraudsters and identity thieves.

On Thursday, Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette tabled Bill 24, An Act to protect consumers against deceptive or fraudulent use of a person’s identity or image.

The bill is meant to respond to what several public figures have recently experienced, including Véronique Cloutier, Normand Brathwaite, Maripier Morin, Claude Legault, Marie-Claude Barrette and Ève-Marie Lortie.

Their faces and voices were used without consent by fraudsters promoting bogus services or products, everything from “high-performing” financial schemes to miracle weight-loss supplements and anti-diabetes creams.

Bill 24 proposes to combine the efforts of the Consumer Protection Office (OPC) and the Financial Markets Authority (AMF), granting them new order-making powers similar to those currently held by the courts.

Under the bill, the heads of both the OPC and the AMF could quickly order an individual or company to stop using someone’s image without consent, for example, in a fake advertisement.

If the order is not respected, the case could be brought to Superior Court and the violator could ultimately be found in contempt of court, which carries the possibility of jail time.

The OPC would still be able to pursue penal charges against the company offering the product or service, as well as the company that distributed the advertisement. That includes large platforms such as Meta.

Violators could face fines of up to $62,500 for an individual and $125,000 for a company, or up to five per cent of its global revenue from the previous fiscal year.

Consumers who have been defrauded could also pursue civil action to try to recover lost money. Victims of identity theft or fraud are encouraged to file complaints with police and with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Speaking at a news conference Thursday, Jolin-Barrette said he has heard from Quebecers “who have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, who have cashed out RRSPs.

“We want to limit this as much as possible,” he said.

The justice minister also thanked host Marie-Claude Barrette, who last year released the documentary Marie contre Goliath on identity theft and fake advertising.

“Ms. Barrette, the cry from the heart that you issued will not go unanswered,” he said. “Thanks to you, Quebecers will be better protected. The new tool being given to the OPC and the AMF will allow us to intervene more effectively and quickly.”

By Caroline Plante

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 26, 2026.