by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Marie-Hélène Beaulieu

Age: 38

Occupation: Lawyer/Consumer advocate

Bio: This enchanting Ville St-Laurent broad had been practicing law in the private sector in Quebec City before arriving in Montreal only six short years ago. Looking to expand her professional horizons, she soon landed a gig with Option Consommateurs, a non-profit consumer organization devoted to forever fighting the good fight against nefarious corporate bodies legally cheating the rest of us out of our hard-earned cash. Although she found Montreal to be a little weird at first ("The first time I took the metro here I was smiling and saying hello to people, and everybody looked at me like I was crazy"), she's since settled in just fine and spends the bulk of her work days lobbying government and industry to get their shit together re: consumer issues.

When she's battling it out with the lawyers for, let's say, the insurance industry, does she get the impression that these people honestly believe in the virtue of fucking people over, or might they simply be conscience-free whores devoted to servicing their corporate masters? "Um, it's hard for me to say. I only know how I work. Lawyers have a bad reputation, you know, but they're just doing their job."

One industry she's been chasing lately: The telecommunications sector, like the cell phone companies, cable, satellite TV and Internet providers. "It's terrible. For example, [cell phone companies] say you can cancel at any time - which is true. Except they don't explain that you'll have to pay a penalty [as high as] $2,000. A lot of companies do that. Plus, let's say you have a plan that's $20 a month. Well, you also have to pay that $20 for the rest of the contract. And, you know, you might have a three-year contract with them. Sure, it's all written in the contract, and they'll tell you that, but they should really [clearly] explain to their customers exactly what they're signing."

Has anybody, anywhere, ever been able to get out of a cell phone contract by arguing they didn't read the agreement as closely as they probably should have? No.

Another "big, big issue" they're working on: The credit industry.

The maximum interest your friendly neighbourhood banker can legally charge you on a loan or credit card: 60 per cent! So take heart in the knowledge that the 28.8 per cent rate you're currently paying on your department store card is pretty damn reasonable after all.

Is there even the remotest chance in Hades they'll effect change in this area? "Um, let's just say we're working very hard on it."

Given that media attention to consumer issues is key to the success of OC, does she ever come upon resistance from media outlets that don't want to publish anything negative about their advertisers? Apparently not.

Last book read: The Rule of Four, by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason.

Musical preferences: Everything.

Words of wisdom: "You've got to feel good at the end of the day."

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca