Paul A. Johnson – Canada Should Not Restrict Competition with Bright Line Rules

To: Competition Policy Watchers From: Paul A. Johnson Date: April 13, 2023 Re: Canada Should Not Restrict Competition with Bright Line Rules The federal government is currently re-examining Canada’s Competition Act. Such re-examination is natural and useful – especially given the paucity of Canadian competition jurisprudence, which can give a single decided case outsized significance […]

Leonard Waverman – Let’s Rescue Bill C-11 From Itself

From:  Leonard Waverman To: Canadian Internet Watchers Date: April 10, 2023 Re: Let’s Rescue Bill C-11 From Itself On March 8, following one of the longest evolutions of a bill in Canadian history, the House of Commons approved Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act. The bill imposes obligations on online streaming services and social media platforms such as […]

Reforms to the Competition Act Must Be Evidence-Based and Homegrown, But They Are Only a Start to Promoting Competitiveness

A version of the Competition Policy Council’s recommendations was submitted to the Government of Canada’s consultation on the future of competition policy in Canada. On November 17, 2022, the federal government launched a long-awaited public consultation on the future of competition policy in Canada. As part of the consultation, the government released a discussion paper […]

Benjamin Dachis – Canada’s Competition Policy Review

From: Benjamin Dachis To: The Hon. Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Date: March 30, 2023 Re: Canada’s Competition Policy Review Minister, you have travelled the world seeking investment into Canada. Now it is time to think about how our competition policy framework influences the decision of companies to invest in Canada. Would they have certainty on […]

Competition Act Reforms Must Be Evidence-Based and Homegrown – Only the Start of the Conversation: C.D. Howe Institute Competition Policy Council

March 30, 2023 – Reforms to Canada’s Competition Act must be evidence-based and homegrown, and are only the start of the conversation on promoting Canada’s competitiveness, according to a new Communiqué from the C.D. Howe Institute Competition Policy Council.

Released in response to the federal government’s discussion paper on reforms to the Competition Act, the Council’s 24th Communiqué emphasizes the need for caution before departing from established Canadian law and process – urging the government to rely on evidence demonstrating the need for change, instead of mimicking developments in competition law and policy in foreign jurisdictions that are still untested.

Referencing how the EU Digital…

Glen Hodgson – EU Climate Policy and Implications for Canadian Competitiveness

From: Glen Hodgson To: Canadians Concerned About Climate Policy and Competitiveness Date: March 23, 2023 Re: EU Climate Policy and Implications for Canadian Competitiveness Joe Biden’s US Inflation Reduction Act is not the only climate and industrial policy-related competitive challenge to Canada. The European Union – Canada’s second largest trading partner with a free trade and investment agreement in […]

Greg Peterson – Food Prices – Where is the Real Fat?

From: Greg Peterson To: Canadians concerned with food costs Date: March 16, 2023 Re: Food Prices – Where is the Real Fat? Food inflation, still rising as the all-items Consumer Price Index levels off, is attracting much attention. Situated at the end of the supply chain, the big supermarket chains have been singled out as […]

Edward Iacobucci – The Competition Bureau’s Misguided Approach to Merger Remedies

From: Edward Iacobucci To: Competition law observers Date: March 15, 2023 Re: The Competition Bureau’s Misguided Approach to Merger Remedies It is a fundamental principle of the rule of law that like cases be treated alike. The Competition Bureau has recommended an approach to merger remedies that is inconsistent with this principle. In particular, it has advocated for a […]

George N. Addy – Competition Act Amendments Should Await a Performance Review

From: George N. Addy To: Competition Law Observers  Date: February 27, 2023  Re: Competition Act Amendments Should Await a Performance Review In the past 18 months calls for amendments to Canada’s competition legislation have been growing. A research initiative from retired Senator Howard Wetston and an ongoing campaign by the competition commissioner and others have pushed the idea that […]

Peter Glossop – Let’s Not Amend Canada’s Perfectly Good Competition Test

From: Peter Glossop To: Canada’s Competition Law Community Date: February 21, 2023 Re: Let’s Not Amend Canada’s Perfectly Good Competition Test The federal Discussion Paper on The Future of Competition Policy asks whether the competition test in the Competition Act should be replaced with another test that would more effectively capture certain types of mergers, especially those in […]

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