Canada´s competition bureau `monitoring´ tech giants for anti-competitive behaviour
(The Star Toronto Raptors)

The Canadian Competition Bureau says it is closely monitoring big technology firms “to ensure they do not engage in anti-competitive conduct,� as regulators around the globe crack down on the world’s leading digital companies.“Should evidence come to light of anti-competitive conduct that may affect the Canadian marketplace, the bureau won’t hesitate to take appropriate action,� agency spokesperson Jayme Albert said in a statement to the Star.On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said it was launching a sweeping antitrust review of internet giants and whether they had abused their power to stifle competition. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is already undertaking a similar investigation.The competition bureau was responding to questions by the Star as to whether a similar action will be undertaken by the federal agency responsible for monitoring and regulating competition in Canada. Recent steps, including the hiring this month of its first Chief Digital Enforcement Officer, indicate that the agency is bulking up to take on the big technology companies.And experts say it is only a matter of time before Canada joins the United States and the European Union in antitrust investigations.“This is a big deal and we should be paying attention because this will impact Canada,� said professor Mihkel Tombak, Hatch Chair in Technology Management at the University of Toronto and an expert in antitrust issues. “I think it’s inevitable that the Canadian authorities here will be looking at how they should be taking a more aggressive stance.�In Canada, it will be up to the competition bureau to determine whether an investigation is warranted. And one former commissioner says she thinks the agency will eventually have to follow the lead of European and U.S. counterparts.“I think regulators are very interested in the issue and that the competition bureau will eventually do something, the question is wh ...