Competition Policy

When the federal government introduced proposed changes to Canada’s Competition Act last month, the Business Council of Canada reacted with outrage. It called the changes a “dramatic overhaul” of the competition regime, an “ambush” that would destroy the legal foundation allowing Canadian companies to compete globally.

"In an unusual if not unprecedented intervention, the head of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) — America’s top antitrust enforcer — recently joined the U.S. assistant attorney general for antitrust to send Canadian Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne a nine-page letter of advice on how to reform Ottawa’s competition policy."

"Two influential U.S. opponents of unchecked corporate consolidation and power have weighed in on Ottawa's consultation in new competition rules for Canadian businesses."

"Lower prices, better treatment for workers and an economy not dominated by a handful of mega-corporations. That's the dream, at least, for some competition law reform advocates."

"For 150 years, Canadian politicians have been talking out of both sides of their mouths. They claim they want to promote competition. And then they pass laws that do the opposite."

“The institutions that make up the foundation of Canada’s competition laws concentrate the future of the field in too few hands and appear to be straining to meet their mandates. If Canada is to truly make competition a pillar of its economic policy, these institutions will need to change to meet the needs of a more active and vibrant competition law ecosystem.”