Thursday, March 3, 2022

In an article for Policy Options the digital magazine of the Institute for Research on Public Policy, Jennifer Quaid, an associate professor in the civil law section, University of Ottawa, who specialises in corporate criminal law, general criminal law, competition law and corporate law, writes: 

Canada must develop a clear and coherent plan for how to respond to the profound changes occurring in what is referred to variously as “the “digital age,” “the digital economy,” “digital markets” or just “digitization.”

This is the key takeaway from an intensifying debate that is expected to be debated in the House this session over what changes are needed to modernize the Competition Act. Depending on how it all plays out, the current confines of what is considered “competition” could be shattered with a radical transformation of the regulatory landscape.

Competition reform had been on the radar for some time but gained public attention when Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell sent a clear message last October to competition law practitioners that it was time, after 12 years, for a comprehensive review of the act to update it for the economy of the 21st century.

Quaid cites a report by Faculty of Law Professor Edward Iacobucci, an expert in competition law. His report discussed some of the same issues identified by Boswell as well as other issues.

Read more in Policy Options: "Clashing visions of competition policy in the digital era"