Kearney, Johnson – Unpacking some of the Limitations of the Competition Bureau’s Report on Competitive Intensity in Canada
From: Elisa Kearney and Paul Johnson To: Canadian competition law observers Date: December 14, 2023 Re: Unpacking some of the Limitations of the Competition Bureau’s Report on Competitive Intensity in Canada The Competition Bureau’s new report on competition may have drawn flattering headlines, but what makes a good newspaper headline does not make sound policy. We urge caution before drawing […] Structuring Success: Canada’s Competition Act Must Remain Effects-based
The C.D. Howe Institute Competition Policy Council (the Council) met on Friday, October 13, 2023, to debate the calls for bright-line rules and presumptions, and whether such proposals are an appropriate approach to competition law enforcement that would effectively address issues of affordability and lagging productivity in Canada.
The tabling of a Private Member’s Bill on September 18, 2023, by Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, titled Lowering Prices for Canadians ActOn September 18, 2023, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh introduced Bill C-352, a Private Member’s Bill which includes, among other amendments, proposals to introduce market-share thresholds into the merger review process of the …
Werner Antweiler – Unpacking the Real Sources of Rising Food Prices
From: Werner Antweiler To: Food price observers Date: November 27, 2023 Re: Unpacking the Real Sources of Rising Food Prices Consumers are complaining about high food prices, and indeed food prices have risen sharply since the end of the pandemic. Politicians have taken up the complaints. Liberals in Parliament have singled out record profits of grocery chains and the lack of […] Getting Personal: The Promise and Potential Missteps of Canada’s New Privacy Legislation
Canada’s governments have been grappling with threats to Canadians’ privacy posed by the fast expanding collection and use of their personal data, enabled in turn by increasingly powerful digital technologies. In this context, Canada’s federal Parliament is examining Bill C-27, the Digital Charter Implementation Act, which encompasses three new acts plus related amendments to existing acts (Canada […] Rosner, Zelikovitz – Let’s Loosen the Barriers to Private Competition Complaints
To: Competition Tribunal and Members of the Bar From: David Rosner and Josh Zelikovitz Date: November 9, 2023 Re: Let’s Loosen the Barriers to Private Competition Complaints In June 2022, the Competition Act was amended to permit private applications alleging abuse of dominance. Despite the reform, there has been no flood of litigation; instead, only […] The Proper Federal Role in Housing with Benjamin Dachis
If Ottawa is to play a role in solving the housing crisis, it must be strategic and stay out of the way of municipalities. The C.D. Howe Institute’s Benjamin Dachis tells host Michael Hainsworth that changing the tax treatment for both homeowners and rental developers would go a long way towards encouraging more construction.
Schwanen, Robson and Bafale – Don’t Let the Dairy Lobby Win this Fight
From: Daniel Schwanen, William B.P. Robson and Mawakina Bafale To: Canadian Senators Date: October 13, 2023 Re: Don’t Let the Dairy Lobby Win this Fight Amazingly, just as cost-of-living concerns are acute for Canadians and grocery prices are in the political cross-hairs, a bill has arrived in the Senate that would further entrench the supply-management restrictions that keep prices […] The Impact of AI on Democracy and Humanity with Yoshua Bengio
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a threat to democracy. Yoshua Bengio, Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Operations Research at the Universite de Montreal and the Scientific Director of the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms joins host Michael Hainsworth to discuss how we should deploy AI in government, for national security and to benefit humanity.
Benjamin Dachis – Why Not a Minister of Competition?
To: The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada From: Benjamin Dachis Re: Why Not a Minister of Competition? Date: August 16, 2023 The government’s 23-move cabinet shuffle last month missed out on one sensible extra move. As a major review of Canada’s competition policy continues, it’s a good time to highlight competition’s crucial importance in the economy […] What’s Behind the Cost of New Single-Detached Homes?
This Graphic Intelligence breaks out the various components of the total cost of new single-detached homes in Canada’s six largest Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs). A recent C.D. Howe Institute publication calculates the total construction cost using three components: the physical cost of construction (which includes labour and materials), an assumed amount of developer profit, and […] Benjamin Dachis – We need a minister of competition to boost Canadians’ incomes – Financial Post
The Liberal government’s 23-move cabinet shuffle last week missed out on one sensible extra move. As a major review of Canada’s competition policy continues, it’s a good time to highlight competition’s crucial importance in the economy by giving it its very own minister. An effective and dedicated competition minister might actually raise Canadians’ incomes by thousands of dollars a year.
At the moment, competition policy is the responsibility of the minister of innovation, science and industry, who is currently François-Philippe Champagne, one of only seven ministers left unshuffled last week. Many observers think Champagne has been effective in executing the government’s priorities. But his portfolio is vast and he is…
Exner-Pirot and Gullo – Reforming Canada’s regulatory approval and permitting process
To: The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources From: Heather Exner-Pirot and Michael Gullo Date: July 20, 2023 Re: Reforming Canada’s regulatory approval and permitting process There is widespread consensus that Canada’s system for regulating and approving major infrastructure projects is too slow and burdensome. Far […]