Licence to Capture: The Cost Consequences to Consumers of Occupational Regulation in Canada

Consumers Lose as Occupational Licensing Expands

• A trend toward increased occupational licensing in Canada drives up costs for consumers and inhibits competition.
• Authors Robert Mysicka, Lucas Cutler and Tingting Zhang explore how a growing number of occupations in Canada require members to be licensed or otherwise regulated and how, in many cases, the added costs consumers pay for regulated services outweigh the benefits.
• “Our objection is to regulations that have the primary effect of limiting competition or reducing market entry with no demonstrable benefit to consumers,” the report reads. “The objective for policymakers is to balance the interests of consumer protection with the virtues of a dynamic, competitive marketplace.”