CIGI Papers No. 293 — April 2024 - Competing Ideas Canada’s Competition

In the The Government of Canada has recently concluded wake of similar competition reform exercises in a comprehensive review of and made initial peer jurisdictions, global macroeconomic shifts updates to the core of the country’s competition and high-profile glimpses into the limitations law framework, the Competition Act, which was of the current framework, the current review of last reviewed in. [...] Digging deeper into the composition of the The substance of the bureau’s submission speaks to businesses and associations that participated in what it sees as material limitations to the current the two consultations shows a shift in the kinds Competition Act, with the deck stacked against of organizations within the category. [...] Although coalition describes the tribunal as becoming too the submission points to legislation proposed in onerous and formalistic a decision-making body, the United States to strengthen that country’s recommending streamlining the body but notably antitrust law, the content of the submission not the delegating of decision-making power to focuses primarily on the role of assumptions the Competitio. [...] the bureau greater powers, expanding the range of conduct considered a violation of the act and That said, as acknowledged in the “What We Heard removing provisions that traded off competition Report,” at the time of writing there are few areas for other policy goals, reflect the temperature of of obvious consensus on the key questions that the public conversation as represented by the the ministr. [...] Although this discussion has mimicked the focus The province of Ontario has shown leadership of the Future of Competition Policy in Canada on relevant competition issues, banning non- consultation by prioritizing analysis of the competes in labour agreements in the summer Competition Act, a number of policy levers have of 2022 and more recently tackling subscription the potential to affect the pat.