Media

Leading voices in economics and public policy, the discussion on corporate concentration was led by Robin Shaban, Associate Partner at Deetken and co-founder of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project, and Matthew Holmes, Senior Vice President of Policy & Government Relations for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, with moderation by School director Chris Ragan. 

According to Keldon Bester, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project, “there is in our competition institutions, and reflected in parts of government, a ‘first do no harm’ kind of approach.” That attitude is complemented by so-called “regulatory humility,” he adds, which means the state plays the role of an uncertain broker, unwilling to assume the worst of companies. He says this approach misses the “one-way nature of these things,” and so it becomes less likely that we can reverse their concentration and entrenchment.

Bester said it’s notable for two reasons. Firstly, it implies the bureau believes there’s merit to the complaints against RBC and Pathways Alliance. The second is that by getting the feds to amend the act to apply deceptive marketing provisions to more general statements rather than just products or services, the bureau is likely attempting to pre-empt the tribunal narrowly interpreting the rules.