Competition Policy in the 21st Century: Charting a Path Forward for Canada

A two-day symposium on June 12-13, 2024 at the University of Ottawa will foster in-depth analysis about the future of competition law in Canada. Entitled “Competition Policy in the 21st Century: Charting a Path Forward for Canada”, the event will bring together a broad cross-section of experts and stakeholders from academia, government, policy think tanks, advocacy groups and the private sector to share insights and provide clarity on the issues at hand.

Business practices and consumer expectations have shifted dramatically since the last reforms. Major advances in digitization, social media, mass data collection, and artificial intelligence have turned traditional concepts of market power and anticompetitive behavior on their heads. In response to these changes, the Canadian government has spent the last two-and-a-half years undertaking a comprehensive modernization of its competition laws. The modernization of the Competition Act has so far proceeded through Parliament in an expedited fashion, leaving only limited time for MPs and senators to consider written feedback on the legislative changes or to hear witnesses in committee. But to date there is no firm consensus on the government’s choice of policy proposals. With so many divergent perspectives at play, what is needed most right now is a deeper discussion about the implications and future directions of competition law in Canada. This upcoming symposium will make space for a full and frank discussion of the complete reform, fleshing out the legal and practical effects of the proposed changes on existing rules and enforcement practice.

This symposium is made possible through the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Centre for International Governance Innovation, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and the University of Ottawa Professional Development Institute.

Symposium Program

Please note that the language of the session titles below reflects the language in which that session will be presented.

Day 1

Registration (8:30 - 9:00 a.m.)

Welcome and opening remarks (9:00 – 9:30 a.m.)

• Jennifer Quaid, Professor and Vice-Dean Research, Civil Law Section, Faculty of Law University of Ottawa

Session 1 – Mergers (9:30 – 11:30 a.m.)

Moderator: Matthew Chiasson, Senior Policy Advisor, Competition Bureau of Canada

• John Lawford, Public Interest Advocacy Group
• Jon Shell, Social Capital Partners
• Elisa Kearney, Competition Law and Foreign Investment Review Section, Canadian Bar Association
• John Tyhurst, Adjunct Professor, Common Law Section, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa
• Kaylie Tiessen, Unifor (online participation)

Lunch (11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)

Session 2 – Unilateral Conduct (bilingual session with AI translation) (1:00 – 3:00 p.m.)

Moderator: Damola Adediji, PhD candidate, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa

• Karounga Diawara, Professor, Laval University, Faculty of Law
• Aaron Wudrick, Macdonald Laurier Institute
• Michelle Auger, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
• John Pecman, Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Coffee break

Session 3 – Competitor collaborations (3:30 – 5:30 p.m.)

Moderator: Stéphanie Guitard, Senior Competition Law Officer, Mergers and Monopolistic Practices Branch, Competition Bureau, Government of Canada

• Thomas Ross, Professor, University of British Columbia
• Dominic Thérien, Competition Law and Foreign Investment Review Section, Canadian Bar Association
• Neil A. Campbell, Partner, International Trade, Competition, Antitrust & Foreign Investment, McMillan

Reception (5:30 – 7:00 p.m.)

Day 2

Coffee and welcome (8:30 – 9:30 a.m.)

Session 4 – Commercialisation trompeuse (session in French with AI translation) (9:30 – 11:30 a.m.)

Moderator: Patrick Leblond, Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa

• Sara-Ève Levac, Option consommateurs
• Camille Lemarié, Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement
• Geneviève Pelletier, Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires
• Leah Temper, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment

Lunch (11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)

Session 5 – Goals of competition law, administration and enforcement (bilingual session with AI translation) (1:00 – 3:00 p.m.)

Moderator: Vass Bednar, McMaster University

• Pierre Larouche, Professor & Vice-Dean, University of Montreal, Faculty of Law
• Richard Darveau, Chief Executive Officer, Bien fait ici / Well made here
• Robin Shaban, Associate Partner at Deetken Insight and Chair and Co-founder of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project
• Joseph Coniglio, Director, Antitrust and Innovation Policy, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (online participation)

Closing remarks (3:00 – 3:30 p.m.)

• Jennifer Quaid, Professor and Vice-Dean Research, Civil Law Section, Faculty of Law University of Ottawa
• Marie-Eve Sylvestre, Dean, Civil Law Section, Faculty of Law University of Ottawa