Competition Bureau needs to keep ‘foot on gas’ amid economic headwinds: commissioner
BNN Bloomberg
The new head of Canada’s competition watchdog says the strain people feel every time they open their wallets has brought a new sense of urgency to her organization’s work.
About a month into the top job, acting competition commissioner Jeanne Pratt said “keeping our foot on the gas” is her top priority.
“With all of the headwinds in our economy and affordability challenges for consumers, it is more important than ever that we just keep going and that we do everything we can to address issues for consumers and for businesses,” she said in an interview on Thursday.
The Competition Bureau is responsible for policing everything from price-fixing and bid-rigging to deceptive marketing to ensure consumers are protected and the economy benefits from the lower prices and innovation that come with competition.
Pratt, an ex-lawyer-turned-15-year-Competition-Bureau-veteran, rose to the top job on an interim basis when Matthew Boswell stepped down in December.
His reign, which spanned the COVID-19 pandemic and a massive spike in inflation, marked a new, more dogged chapter in bureau history. Under Boswell’s command, the watchdog placed tech behemoths Google and DoorDash in its crosshairs as well as household favourites including Cineplex and Canada’s Wonderland.
