Competition Is a Process, Not a Destination

Competition Is a Process, Not a Destination

Remarks by Jeanne Pratt, Interim Commissioner of Competition

Annual Conference of the Canadian Chapter of the International Institute of Communications

To begin, I want to acknowledge that this event is taking place on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People. I’m humbled to be speaking to you from these territories.

I also want to thank the International Institute of Communications’ Canadian Chapter for the invitation. The organizers have put together a great program for this year’s conference.

It is a pleasure to be here with so many people who care deeply about the future of Canada's communications industry – a key industry upon which our collective future depends. Competition is foundational to ensure that Canadians can access quality services at a competitive price on an essential service that is the foundation of almost everything in their day-to-day business, work and personal lives.

I’ll use my time today—from my perspective as Interim Commissioner of Competition—to talk about the progress, opportunities and challenges to competition we have seen across the industry in recent years.

Let me begin with a simple proposition, which will be familiar to most of you in the room:

In communications markets in particular, competition must be protected, nurtured and often fought for.

Competition in Canada’s communication markets faces distinct challenges.

Canada is large and sparsely populated. Building networks means making significant investments over long periods of time. Regulatory requirements serve legitimate public interest goals, but they can also introduce friction to the competitive process.

These factors can create a tendency towards concentration that, if left unchecked, can work against the country’s interest in having access to modern competitive communication services.