OTTAWA, ON (May 25, 2023): The rise of digital commerce revolutionized the lives of Canadians : digital firms have emerged to facilitate how Canadians interact, do business, and consume products. In November 2022, the federal government launched a public consultation to determine whether aspects of the Competition Act need to be amended to reflect this new digital economy. The Competition Bureau’s discussion paper indicates concern that the power of digital firms has grown far beyond the reach of competition law in its present form.

In this new MLI paper, Staying the course: Why competition law should remain focused on consumer welfare standards, Will Rinehart and Aaron Wudrick warn that Canada must guard against overreaction in reforming its competition law and avoid following the same path as several peer nations (the United States in particular).