Media

Industry and technology members go over the fine print of New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh’s backbench bid to boost the power of the federal competition bureau and tribunal to investigate — and, in some cases, intervene in — allegations of price-fixing and other “anti-competitive activities,” particularly, although not exclusively, those involving the grocery sector, with Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project executive director Keldon Bester, OpenMedia executive director Matthew Hatfield and a panel of academics.

“If we’d had these rules in place for the grocery study, we could have had a product by produce look at the margins, potentially,” said Bester. “In other jurisdictions, these market studies have formed the basis for real change.”

Bester points out that there’s an important distinction between legislation that empowers action against anti-competitive behavior and the actual enforcement of laws against monopolies. He notes that the US hasn’t actually passed more effective and modern anti-monopoly laws but adds that “Biden, and even presidents before Biden, have ratcheted up enforcement of existing laws.”

While marketed as tools for efficiency or competition, these algorithms can lead to higher prices across entire markets without any direct communication between companies.

Alex Vronces explores competition in Canada with Keldon Bester, Executive Director of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project (CAMP).

A month-long boycott of Loblaws stores begins: But will it make a difference? Keldon Bester is the Executive Director of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project. Eric Wickham is a freelancer with The Hoser.