"Dirty diesel:" after Volkswagen offers a $15-billion settlement in the U.S., CAA-Quebec urges Canadian authorities to think about wronged owners

QUEBEC CITY, July 4, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Responding to the out-of-court settlement that Volkswagen is set to sign with federal authorities in the U.S. in the aftermath of the so-called dirty diesel scandal, CAA-Quebec believes it is time Canadian authorities took concrete actions on behalf of the approximately 100,000 consumers on this side of the border who are owners of the affected vehicles.

Pierre Beaudoin, CAA-Quebec's Senior Director of Technical Services, says he is dismayed that our political authorities have remained silent on the matter so far: "It is high time that Canada's Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, and the Minister of Transport, took concrete actions to help vehicle owners affected by this scandal. Although spokespersons for Volkswagen have alluded to a similar settlement being offered in Canada, there is still uncertainty, and that is neither enough, nor reassuring."

CAA-Quebec, which has more than 1.2 million members in Quebec, believes it would be anomalous, to say the least, for a motorist in Plattsburgh, New York, to be able to cash in on the estimated US$15-billion settlement, while his counterpart just north of the border in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle still has no idea how and when federal authorities plan to go to bat for him, fully nine months after the scandal first came to light.

CAA-Quebec therefore calls on the ministers involved to come to the defence of consumers in Quebec and the rest of Canada, and also urges Volkswagen Canada to engage with its consumers, in view of the progress made in the United States. The organization demands that concrete action be taken as regards compensation as well as corrective measures to be applied to the approximately 100,000 vehicles affected in this country.

About CAA-Quebec
CAA-Quebec, a not-for-profit organization, provides all of its members with peace of mind by offering them high-quality automotive, travel, residential and insurance benefits, products and services. Through its advisory services, CAA-Quebec fields some 130,000 information requests from automotive consumers each year.

SOURCE CAA-Québec

Rébecca Salesse, Communications Advisor, 418 624-2424, ext. 6011, [email protected]; Jesse Caron, Automotive Researcher, 418 624-2424, ext. 2318, Cell: 418-284-5430, [email protected]