CAMP Calls on Canada to Remove Restrictive Digital Trade Rules from CUSMA

May 20, 2026 [Ottawa, ON] – This week, the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project (CAMP) released Why Canada Should Delete Restrictive Digital Trade Rules from CUSMA, a new brief arguing that Canada’s upcoming CUSMA review is a critical opportunity to reclaim policy space over digital markets dominated by major U.S. technology firms. 

The report warns that while CUSMA is often discussed in terms of tariffs and goods, its digital trade chapter has major implications for Canadian competition policy, consumer protection, privacy, online harms, data sovereignty, and the ability to hold dominant platforms accountable. 

CAMP identifies five CUSMA provisions that should be removed: Articles 19.4, 19.11, 19.12, 19.16, and 19.17. The report finds that these rules can be used to block or chill Canadian efforts to regulate digital platforms, limit scrutiny of algorithms, restrict data governance, frustrate right-to-repair policy, and undermine platform accountability. 

“As Canada heads into the 2026 CUSMA review, policymakers need to be clear about what is at stake,” said Keldon Bester, Executive Director of CAMP. “Free trade should not mean locking Canada into rules that protect Big Tech’s dominance and limit our ability to govern digital markets. Canadians need stronger privacy protections, fairer competition, real platform accountability, and control over how their data is used. That requires deleting the restrictive digital trade rules that stand in the way.” 

The report argues that Canada can preserve the benefits of trade while removing provisions that constrain domestic digital policy. CAMP recommends that Canada defend its ability to legislate on privacy, online harms, fraud prevention, data protection, cloud infrastructure, right to repair, and competition in digital markets. 

The 2026 CUSMA review gives Canada a direct policy window to address rules negotiated in an earlier era and ensure trade commitments do not override democratic oversight of the digital economy.