Opinion

CAMP Executive Director Keldon Bester and Giorgos Verdi argue in The Globe and Mail that Canada and Europe should use closer economic ties to reduce their dependence on U.S. Big Tech and strengthen competition in digital markets.

Canada’s trade dispute with the U.S. has exposed the risks of depending too heavily on a single country abroad while tolerating concentrated markets at home. A stronger response means using competition policy to build a more resilient economy.

As Canada negotiates tariff relief with the U.S., digital trade has entered the conversation. But deeper alignment could come at a cost: less room for Canada to regulate Big Tech and decide how its digital economy should be governed.

Keldon Bester, Executive Director of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project, argues that Canada’s productivity slump will not be solved by tax incentives alone. Driving real investment will require stronger competition for markets and workers, including opening concentrated sectors, breaking down incumbent barriers, and creating the wage pressure that pushes firms to invest in productivity.

Emily Osborne, Fellow at the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project, argues that Canada already has the legal tools to prohibit surveillance pricing, but lacks the political will to apply them across the economy.

CAMP fellow Andrew Paulley lays out the case for distinguishing between surveillance pricing and the discounts Canadians know and love.