Canadian Retailer - Winter 2013 - 11

NEW MILLENNIUM

For more information concerning RCC government relations and any of the association’s advocacy efforts,
contact Dave Wilkes, senior vice president, grocery division at dwilkes@retailcouncil.org, or 1-888-373-8245
ext. 251, or visit our website at www.retailcouncil.org.
• In 2001, RCC signed an agreement with Human
Resources Canada to develop retail certification
programs for sales associates and first level store
managers, helping establish the Canadian Retail
Institute (CRI), the educational arm of RCC.
• In 2002, RCC played a key role in developing CPA
(Canadian Payments Association) debit voluntary
codes to address the Canadian payments companies’
inability to compete fairly for merchants’ business, its
lack of accountability and transparency.
• Diverting waste from landfill consumed a good
portion of RCC’s agenda as provincial jurisdictions
legislated industry to develop, manage and fund new
waste diversion programs.
• Advocating for program harmonization and cost
efficiencies across jurisdictions in areas such as
privacy, consumer protection, fraud prevention,
price accuracy, health and safety, and sustainability
became RCC’s rallying cry.
• RCC began managing a retail safety group in Ontario
in cooperation with WSIB. That year also saw the
launch of a national Retail Organized Crime Task Force.

2010 & BEYOND

1990s

• A strong Canadian dollar led RCC to commit to
defending, educating and informing a variety of
stakeholders on the impact of currency fluctuation.
• In January 2008, the association won a long battle
against proposed federal levies on MP3s, cellular
telephones and computers. The Federal Court of
Appeal (FCA) ruled that the Copyright Board did not
have the authority to impose taxes on audio devices.
• RCC formed the Independent Retailer Task Force to
study the needs of small merchants and to develop
tools and products to assist in their growth and
profitability.
• RCC launched the ‘Stop Sticking It To Us’ campaign
and established a coalition of like-minded associations representing more than 250,000 businesses
across Canada to fight increasing credit card merchant fees and the introduction of new Americanstyle debit products into the Canadian market. This
resulted in the Minister of Finance announcing the
development of a voluntary Code of Conduct for the
Canadian payments industry.

20 0 0 s

• Following pressure from RCC and its partner associations, the Competition Bureau announced that it
would file charges against Visa and MasterCard for
anti-competitive practices.
• Following the dissolving of CCGD, RCC established
a new Grocery Division.
• Mergers with Shelfspace and the Canadian Booksellers Association, opening a permanent Quebec office,
and launching MySTORE—RCC’s independent
retail division—ensured RCC remains the strongest
merchant association in the country.
• RCC played a key role in the Canadian Payment
Task Force, resulting in the development of rules and
regulations in the payments sector which allowed
retailers to benefit from greater competition, a
stronger voice and lower costs.
• Cross-border shopping, a strong Canadian dollar, lobbying to eliminate import duties on finished goods and
an effort to harmonize provincially-legislated Extended
Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs were front
and centre on RCC’s lobbying agenda for 2011.

201 0 s

• In 2012, RCC led a retail delegation in Ottawa as part
of its Retail Wraps up the Hill initiative, speaking
to politicians about the needs and rights of retailers,
forming stronger relationships with government.
• RCC worked to postpone the date set by Ottawa for the
phase out of the penny until after the holiday season.
• Beyond: Retail Council of Canada will continue to
work with industry leaders and government officials
to fight for retailers’ rights in the years ahead.
Building on the momentum that’s been created in
recent years, RCC will forge ahead with plans to
help members manage payments across traditional
and mobile environments; develop a strategy to
reduce import tariffs on a range of goods; spearhead
a national initiative to manage changes to the minimum wage; work with industry and government on
health and wellness in the grocery sector, facilitate
a move toward a more harmonized approach to
environmental stewardship; and other national and
regional efforts that ensure retailers’ voices are
heard on matters that affect them most.

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Canadian Retailer - Winter 2013

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