Paul-erik Veel – Implications Of An Empirical Analysis Of Competition Tribunal Cases
From: Paul-Erik Veel To: Canadians Concerned About Competition Date: September 23, 2020 Re: Implications of an Empirical Analysis of Competition Tribunal Cases The Competition Tribunal is the most important body for adjudicating disputes under the Competition Act. It has exclusive jurisdiction over disputes relating to the unilateral conduct, merger, and civil competitor agreement provisions of the act. It […] We should stop regulating wholesale internet rates – Financial Post Op-Ed
In Canada, if regulation doesn’t work, the answer always seems to be more regulation. And so it is now with wholesale internet rates.
In August, the Cabinet (mildly) criticized the CRTC’s new wholesale internet rates, noting that because they are so low, they may “undermine investment in high-quality networks.” This sentiment is justified, but the Cabinet needs to go much further. This is an opportunity for Canada to finally accept that our government-directed internet “market” is not working — and to create a system of real, authentic competition.
First, why is the CRTC setting internet rates anyway? Canada has a form of wholesale internet regulation that is unique in the world. In Canada, as in most countries,…
Robert Mysicka – Protecting Consumers Against Costs Of Increased Professional Regulation
From: Robert Mysicka To: Canada’s Premiers Date: August 20, 2020 Re: Protecting Consumers Against Costs of Increased Professional Regulation Amid the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s easy to overlook the hidden costs to consumers from the increase in the regulation of occupations. The economic rationales for increasing occupational regulation, in many cases, can […] John Pecman – Can Antitrust Laws Assist With The Economic Recovery?
From: John Pecman To: Canadians Concerned about Competition Date: July 24, 2020 Re: Can Antitrust Laws Assist with the Economic Recovery? Antitrust enforcers have said they need to remain vigilant to protect consumers and assist with the recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn. Does the strict enforcement of competition laws stimulate a quick economic recovery, or would […] 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 […] Accelerate Infrastructure Projects and Adapt Restructuring Processes: Crisis Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade
June 17, 2020 – Accelerating productivity-enhancing infrastructure projects could provide much-needed stimulus and help Canada’s economy recover from the COVID-19 crisis, according to a C.D. Howe Institute Crisis Working Group.
The Crisis Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade, in its most recent meetings on May 26 and June 2, 2020, also emphasized the need for adapting Canada’s bankruptcy and restructuring process to cope with the potential for widespread insolvencies.
The group of industry experts and economists, co-chaired by Dwight Duncan, Senior Strategic Advisor at McMillan LLP and former Ontario Minister of Finance, and Jeanette Patell, Vice-President of Government Affairs and Policy for GE Canada,…
Tim Brennan – Could Covid-19 Justify Competitor Cooperation?
From: Tim Brennan To: Competition policy watchers Date: June 8, 2020 Re: Could COVID-19 Justify Competitor Cooperation? As nations around the world try to cope with COVID-19, one hears calls to encourage cooperation among manufacturers and suppliers that normally compete with another. Cooperation, of course, is good if not necessary in so many aspects of our […] Through Crisis and Recovery, Enforce Competition and Safeguard Open Markets: C.D. Howe Institute Competition Policy Council
May 27, 2020 – The federal government should not legislate any ministerial “public interest” waiver for anti-competitive collaborations, according to a report from a C.D. Howe Institute council.
While government intervention in certain economic sectors may be warranted in the near term during the COVID-19 crisis, governments must be conscious of potential impacts on competition, and ensure competitors face the discipline and dynamism of market forces by outlining a clear exit plan for ramping-down support.
This is the consensus view of the C.D. Howe Institute’s Competition Policy Council, which held its nineteenth meeting on May 8, 2020.
Council members commended governments for taking an active role in economic…
Konrad Von Finckenstein – Balancing Privacy And Cellphone Tracing To Fight Covid-19
From: Konrad von Finckenstein To: All provincial governments except Alberta Date: May 14, 2020 Re: Balancing privacy and cellphone tracing to fight COVID-19 It has widely been reported that South Korea used cellphone tracing in its largely successful efforts to control the pandemic. This raises important questions of privacy, and forces governments into the difficult […] Robson, Bishop – Coronavirus Crisis Shows Value Of Robust Digital Infrastructure
To: Canadian Telecommunications Users and Regulators From: William B.P. Robson and Grant Bishop Re: Coronavirus Crisis Shows Value of Robust Digital Infrastructure Date: March 24, 2020 Like so many Canadians, we at the C.D. Howe Institute responded to the COVID-19 crisis by suspending almost all in-person activities. As in most workplaces, everyone at the Institute […] Increasing Regional Competition Drives Lower Cellular Prices Across Provinces
In a recent edition of Graphic Intelligence, we showed that prices for cellular services across Canada declined by almost 17 percent as of December 2019 from a high point in June 2017. This ongoing price decline in cellular services is at the centre of the present debate around the federal government’s aim to further reduce […] Grant Bishop – Boon Or Bane? The Mandated Broadband And Wireless Access Debate
From: Grant Bishop To: The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Date: February 6, 2020 Re: Boon or bane? The mandated broadband and wireless access debate Two sets of present proceedings raise questions about whether Canada’s telecommunications regulator will enhance or impair market efficiency by mandating access to telecommunications facilities – specifically, to broadband and […]