We discuss competition law in Canada and how it affects consumers with Anthony Durocher, Deputy Commissioner, Competition Promotion Branch at the Competition Bureau of Canada. Turns out the Competition Bureau not only enforces the law (reviews mergers, looks for anti-competitive cartels and other acts, polices misleading advertising) but also "promotes" competition. How? Well, this includes encouraging consumers to switch service providers on key services like banking, telecommunications and insurance and by warning consumers and businesses of fraud and providing practical tips to avoid becoming a victim.
Competition in Canada is enforced by the Competition Bureau of Canada. In this episode, we discuss all things competition in Canada and how it can be promoted with Anthony Durocher, Deputy Commissioner, Competition Promotion Branch at the Competition Bureau of Canada. First up, possible reform of the Competition Act and the Competition Bureau's submission to Senator Howard Wetston's review. Next, we hear about two consumer-centric, proactive campaigns by the Bureau upcoming next week and next month. First up is #SwitchWeek , this year from 21-27 February 2022, during which the Competition Bureau encourages Canadians to shop around for better deals on essential services such as like banking, telecommunications and insurance. Turns out you could save around $1860 a year just by shopping the market to renegotiate or change contracts with your service providers. Then we turn to "Fraud Prevention Month" which is always in March. This year's campaign ( #FPM2022 ) kicks off 1 March 2022 with the tagline: "Recognize, reject and report fraud". We discuss why it is so important for Canadians to do all of these things and why we are all vulnerable to a scam at some times in our life and why there is no shame in being targeted. Help out others and yourself with these tips. We close with a harder question: why do consumer complaints seem to go into a "black hole" at the Competition Bureau? Finally, we get an explanation. It may be better than you think - but you're not wrong - it is somewhat secret.
Finally, we promise a PIAC blog on wireless pricing - we examine the government's big claims of prices going down.