Financial Services Archives - Public Interest Advocacy Centre

PIAC Commented on the National Anti-Fraud Strategy

Tahira Dawood — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:33:20 +0000

Ottawa – The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) commented on the National Anti-Fraud Strategy consultation, earlier in April. The Department of Finance, in collaboration with other federal departments, launched a consultation to seek feedback on proposed measures for a National Anti-Fraud Strategy.

PIAC’s submission pointed to the underlying gaps that should be considered to have a more comprehensive national anti-fraud policy. PIAC also submitted that the measures being presently considered do not go far enough in terms of raising consumer awareness, as well as protecting against fraud. Consumer losses and liability are key issues that should be a central part of any anti-fraud strategy.

Importantly, PIAC noted that we need practical steps planned and executed to make any changes work, just peripheral discussion on these issues does not and cannot do much. Consumers have been suffering from fraud, particularly vulnerable consumers, including seniors with limited to no redress. Consumers in these cases are often left with considerable liabilities and/or losses that could in some cases jeopardize their entire life savings. It is about time for some clear and concrete action.

Last year in December 2025, PIAC appeared before the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and the Economy (BANC Committee) to discuss its views and concerns regarding Bill C-15, Division 16 (Bank Act, Consumer-targeted Fraud). The written brief submitted to the BANC Committee was sent with these comments.

See here for PIAC’s comments to the National Anti-Fraud Strategy consultation.

For PIAC’s Comments to the BANC Committee on Bill C-15, Division 16 (Bank Act, Consumer-targeted Fraud), see here.

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PIAC Comments on OBSI External Review – 2026

Tahira Dawood — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 06:34:32 +0000

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) provided its comments to the OBSI Independent External Review. PIAC’s experience and research suggests that the OBSI is not sufficiently well known in Canada, and significant effort is still required to increase consumer awareness.

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We Fight for That podcast, Episode 32 – The Big Fix

j.lawford — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 15:54:50 +0000

EPISODE SUMMARY

New PIAC Executive Director and General Counsel, Geoff White, is pleased to take the reins of the podcast and interviews Denis Hearn and Vass Bednar about their urgent, clear and accessible book, “The Big Fix”, which seeks to explain why Canada has a competition problem and how to fix it.

EPISODE NOTES

Geoff White, PIAC’s new Executive Director and General Counsel interviews authors Denise Hearn and Vass Bednar about their eye-opening new book, “The Big Fix”, which reveals the extent of Canada’s inability to get competition in Canada right. Canadians pay too much, have limited market choices, little control of their shopping experience and suffer intrusive surveillance mostly due to the inability of Canadian regulators to halt mergers in areas such as food retailing, telecommunications, financial services and even veterinary services.

Hearn and Bednar outline their potential solutions to address this market power, to provide a democratic and consumer-driven solution to make the market less “fixed” against Canadians. These include not only a more stringent review of mergers but also a ‘whole of government’ approach to competition effects on all parts of the economy. Gosh, they even discuss the prospect of structural separation in telecommunications and promotion of human flourishing as an outcome of markets. This is a refreshing and provocative discussion about putting consumers first – a goal PIAC has pursued for 40 plus years, and will pursue in the future.

Buy the book from Sutherland House: https://sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/the-big-fix/

Listen to the podcast:

https://wefightforthat.simplecast.com/episodes/the-big-fix

Make a donation to PIAC, right now, through Canada Helps: https://www.piac.ca/become-a-donor/

SHOW CONTRIBUTORS

Denise Hearn

Vass Bednar

Geoff White

The post We Fight for That podcast, Episode 32 – The Big Fix appeared first on Public Interest Advocacy Centre.

PIAC joins in Open Letter to Finance Minister requesting OBSI be designated only bank ombuds

j.lawford — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 14:58:24 +0000

OTTAWA – 24 February 2022 – Today the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) joined leading Canadian consumer groups in an Open Letter to Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, requesting the Minister designate the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) as Canada’s only consumer banking complaints Ombuds service.

“We have been asking for the Department of Finance to ensure independent, fair and expeditious resolution of consumer banking complaints by creating a single ombudsman service for over ten years,” said John Lawford, PIAC Executive Director and General Counsel. “We almost gave up hope, but in the Finance Minister’s Mandate Letter, it directed the Minister to create ‘a single, independent ombudsperson, with the power to impose binding arbitration, to address consumer complaints involving banks.’ So, we are requesting the Minister go ahead and right this historical consumer problem.”

PIAC recently recorded an episode of its “We Fight for That” podcast discussing consumer banking complaints in Canada in detail.

For more information, please contact:

Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)

John Lawford
Executive Director and General Counsel
Public Interest Advocacy Centre
(613) 447-8125
jlawford@piac.ca

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