Media

Microsoft reneged on promises it made in court during its Federal Trade Commission antitrust trial in 2023 by laying off 1,900 employees in late January, according to the FTC.

Property controls also make it more attractive for companies to consolidate as a way of expanding, said Bester.

“If the prime real estate is wrapped up in these kinds of agreements, if a company wants to expand, they are encouraged to buy up and reduce competition,” he said.

The escalating cost of living and the unchecked power of global giants have sparked Canada’s newfound resistance against concentrated economic power. 

"The one that has the biggest opportunity to change the future of competition law going forward is opening up meaningful private access including damages to deter anti-competitive conduct, de-centralizing enforcement, keeping the Bureau prominent, but allowing individual companies to bring suits," Bester says. "The Bureau can't be everywhere, and the Bureau brings its own institutional thinking to how it approaches the law, so de-centralizing that is very important."

"Customers shouldn't have to be pursuing regulators and the big companies for relief, says Keldon Bester, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project."

"As opposed to companies fighting for customers, it's customers hunting around for the best deal in a not-that-great marketplace."