Fixing Canada: The competition

You’ve probably heard—from politicians, experts or even just friends and family—that “Canada is broken.”

Everyone can draw their own conclusions about that, but there’s no denying that some key aspects of the country aren’t working well for many of us. Complaining about that is easy; it’s fixing it that’s the tough part.

This week, The Big Story is trying to do that with Fixing Canada—a five-part series featuring deep dives into five issues that touch every Canadian, looking to experts to diagnose the problem—but most importantly, to prescribe the cure.

Today, we’re talking about competition. Or rather, Canada’s lack of it. You may have noticed consolidation in high-profile sectors like groceries or telecommunications. But the problem goes well beyond that. 

Vass Bednar and Denise Hearn are the authors of the upcoming book The Big Fix: How Companies Capture Markets and Harm Canadians.

“Companies no longer just compete within one industry. They really are trying to own assets across industries,” said Bednar. 

Right now, competition is vanishing in sectors like medical technology, funeral services and even veterinary care. How do we get it back? 

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