(Ottawa) New research from the Competition Bureau shows that the intensity of competition in the country has decreased over the past two decades, its commissioner, Matthew Boswell, said Thursday.
Mr. Boswell shared the preliminary findings of a new report during a speech he gave Thursday at the Competition Summit, a conference hosted by the Bureau.
The commissioner said the Bureau had studied competition in all sectors between 2000 and 2020 and would publish a report in the coming weeks.
“Overall, we found that Canada’s competitive intensity declined between 2000 and 2020. Our findings speak volumes and confirm the need for a major change in direction in Canada,” said Mr. Boswell.
He also highlighted the need for all levels of government to address restrictions that harm competition.
“Now is the time to examine how all of us in the public sector, at all levels of government — municipal, provincial, territorial and federal — can grow our economy by eliminating restrictions that harm the competitive process,” said Mr. commissioner.
The Liberals have introduced a new bill that would amend the Competition Act to address certain “weaknesses” identified by experts.
The federal government has also promised to carry out a broader overhaul of the law, but it has not provided a timetable for those changes.