Media

“Under European competition laws, businesses can be fined for abusing their dominant position in a market to exploit purchasers or sellers… Canada has no equivalent exploitation doctrine in its competition law. It is not illegal for dominant firms to leverage their market power to earn excess profits, exploit consumers or even exploit workers.”

Following uproar from grocery stores ending pandemic pay bonuses in unison, federal law makers criminalized wage-fixing and no-poach agreements under Canada’s competition law starting June 2023.

”Businesses gain monopsony power in labour markets when workers lack meaningful outside options for employment. When workers have fewer options for where to work, they are forced to take on unstable, exploitative work for less pay to make ends meet.”

With its passage of the Working for Workers Act, the Ontario government took a bold step towards pro-worker competition by banning the use of non-competes across the province.

Dye & Durham faces backlash from legal professionals after steep price hikes on essential software, reigniting concerns over its growing market power.

“In other words, if a merger creates a significant amount of cost savings, it is legal under Canadian law, even if it hurts consumers. These cost savings often come from laying off staff, which may exacerbate the harm these mergers can inflict on Canadians. Ultimately, the increased revenues from higher prices and cost savings accrue to business owners and shareholders, exacerbating economic inequity.”