Nine Years After Bread Price-Fixing Scheme, Canada’s Anti-Trust Measures Are Still ‘Weak,’ Competition Commissioner Says

Commissioner Matthew Boswell says Canada’s competition laws are out of date and enforcement is weak.

A worker restocks shelves in the bakery and bread aisle at an Atlantic Superstore grocery in Halifax on Jan. 28, 2022. The Canadian Press/Kelly Clark

Nine years after opening an investigation into how Canadian food companies colluded to fix bread prices, the competition commissioner is warning that the government’s competition laws are out of date and enforcement is weak.

“The problem of concentration in this country is getting worse. It has gotten a lot worse over the last generation and it’s something that all of us as people who are passionate about our country and our economy and policy need to address,” testified Competition Commissioner Matthew Boswell at the Senate National Finance Committee on Dec. 13.