Canada’s grocery business is controlled by large players and needs government assistance to encourage new entrants to bring down prices, a report from Canada’s Competition Bureau says.

41 points

In other news, water is wet!

We used to have laws and regulations in place for stuff like this, same with the USA. As years passed they lost their teeth

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21 points

You don’t get to have teeth when you’re sucking at the teets.

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8 points
*

You lose all your teeth if all you’re eating is cookies, candy and Coca Cola everyday. Our economy is basically a toothless overweight diabetic

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7 points

Except it’s not even as diverse as cookies, candy and cola. It’s just real estate all the way down.

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7 points

This was very snappily phrased and made me snort my drink, well done my friend.

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15 points

Canada’s regulatory agencies feel so incredibly spineless. So many industries here are unchecked oligopolies with skyrocketing prices.

My American friends are jawdropped when I tell them how much food, internet, and cell plans cost here.

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9 points

The people in charge… They’re all bought and paid for. That’s why.

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7 points

Regulatory capture is a common theme regardless of industry here

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40 points

The Weston’s own most of the pharmacy, the grocery, food supply chain, and are moving into healthcare at breakneck pace. No shit it’s too concentrated. We need actual antitrust laws.

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18 points

Sadly it doesn’t matter if we have antitrust laws or not when no one is willing to enforce them.

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7 points

It does matter, we just need to put more public pressure on them.

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9 points

I hope “public pressure” is euphemistic for things a little more, erm, firm than “write angry articles on cbc”

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5 points

There was so much pressure on the Shawgers buyout, the Competition Bureau was overwhelmed. Yet, here we are.

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5 points

They also own real estate under Choice Properties.

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39 points

Much cheaper to break up the monopolies and change the system to prevent them forming in the first place. Subsidizing new entrants without changing the environment that creates monopolies will just feed the beasts with fresh meat.

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20 points

Basically what happened in the mobile space. I’m 2008 CRTC had an AWS spectrum auction for new entrants in the wireless industry, namely Mobilicity, Public Mobile, and WIND Mobile. Public was bought out by Telus. Mobilicity was bought by Rogers and merged with Chatr. WIND hung out longer and became Freedom under Shaw, but of course Shawgers happened, so we’re back to square one.

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5 points

Freedom is under Quebecor now. Not great not terrible. Quebecor is much smaller outside of QC so they keep competing for now.

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5 points

Don’t forget that these telecom companies are also media companies, owning channels like CityTV, Global, CTV, Corus. They also control the news grandma and grandpa see on the 6pm news.

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18 points

Break up the Weston vertical monopoly and watch how fast the rest starts evening out.

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3 points

Exactly. The big corps will just buy the new players and everything will go back to the way it was.

This government has no vision.

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33 points

“Yeah, no shit” every Canadian says.

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23 points

5 companies for food is not enough competition but somehow 3 telecom providers is 🤔

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1 point

Lol exactly! One gives a $3 discount, they all do. One give $10 raise, they all follow. Great competition 👏

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