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 Welcomes Government of Canada’s Increased Funding for Consumer Affairs, Grocery Pricing Studies

j.lawford — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 12:04:00 +0000

OTTAWA, 25 October 2023 – The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) warmly welcomed yesterday’s announcementby François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, to triple funding to the Office of Consumer Affairs’ Contributions Program for Non-Profit Consumer and Voluntary Organizations, from $1.69 million to $5 million for five consecutive years. PIAC and other consumer groups in Canada rely upon this program to fund vital consumer protection research. PIAC and others will immediately propose working on projects to help lower Canadians’ grocery bills.

“We applaud Minister Champagne’s action to fund hardworking consumer advocates who for too long have struggled with their own budgetary constraints in trying to help Canadian consumers with their own challenges,” said John Lawford, Executive Director and General Counsel of PIAC. “The Minister heard the voice of consumers facing higher food prices and is showing consumer groups that the government trusts us and the Office of Consumer Affairs to make a real difference for Canadians,” he added, after an hour long meeting with Minister Champagne and other consumer groups, including Consumers’ Council of Canada, Option consommateurs and Union des consommateurs.

PIAC’s recent submission to the Competition Bureau of Canada’s Retail Grocery Market Study highlighted “shrinkflation” and “shelflation” and other dubious tactics of grocery retailers to confuse customers looking to shop smart and save money. PIAC was pleased to see the Competition Bureau’s Retail Grocery Market Study Report’s conclusion that “Canada Needs More Grocery Competition”.

PIAC was then thrilled to see the Government of Canada’s reaction to these competition concerns in the grocery sector and across essential goods and services in the introduction of Bill C-56, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act and the Competition Act, which would enact the Affordable Housing and Groceries Act. Bill C-56 seeks to remove the hated “efficiencies defence” (which PIAC has opposed since its creation) that harms consumers from merging companies’ tactics and restricts unfair use of schemes such as restrictive covenants, that limit where competing grocery stores can open. PIAC calls upon all parties and members of the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada to swiftly pass this essential competition law reform.

For more information, please contact:

John Lawford
Executive Director and General Counsel
Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)
tel: 1-613-562-4002 ext. 125

cell: 1-613-447-8125

@CanadaPIAC

jlawford@piac.ca

https://www.piac.ca

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The post PIAC Welcomes Government of Canada’s Increased Funding for Consumer Affairs, Grocery Pricing Studies appeared first on Public Interest Advocacy Centre.

Grocery pricing Archives - Public Interest Advocacy Centre

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

EPISODE SUMMARY

EPISODE NOTES

PIAC Welcomes Government of Canada’s Increased Funding for Consumer Affairs, Grocery Pricing Studies