QUESTION PERIOD — Privy Council
Competition Policy
June 4, 2026
Senator Moreau, in last month’s Spring Economic Update, I was thrilled to see a commitment from this government to launch a “whole-of-government competition plan” in the coming months:
The plan will focus on removing inefficient government policies that impede competition arising from regulation, procurement, and industrial support.
Canada’s Competition Bureau has long advocated for a mandatory competition impact-assessment framework in Canada, in line with OECD recommendations and international best practices. In 2020, the Competition Bureau published a competition assessment toolkit, which includes a step-by-step plan to assess how government programs may impact economic competitiveness.
Could you inform us whether this existing toolkit will be part of the government’s whole-of-government competition plan efforts?
The Spring Economic Update announced the government’s intention to launch a whole-of-government competition plan to ensure that competition is prioritized across federal policies and institutions. The plan will focus on identifying and removing inefficient government policies that might inadvertently impede competition through regulations, procurement and industrial support. As you noted, the Competition Bureau has developed valuable tools and expertise in this area, including guidance on assessing the competitive impacts of public policies.
While the government has not yet announced the specific mechanism that will be used under the new plan, further details should be provided by the Minister of Finance in the coming months. If I learn more, I will certainly get back to you. More broadly, the government’s objective is clear: We must strengthen productivity, affordability, innovation and economic growth by ensuring that competition considerations are embedded across government decision making.
Thank you for that. I look forward to help in whatever way possible, because it is such an important initiative.
This effort is being led by the Minister of Finance and National Revenue, but it will most likely reside within the Treasury Board’s purview, ultimately, under the Red Tape Reduction Act efforts. The Competition Bureau is under Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, or ISED.
Could the government provide clarity on who will be leading the operationalization of this whole-of-government competition plan and make sure that —
Thank you.
What has been announced is what you mentioned. The initiative will be led by the Minister of Finance, with additional details to be publicly announced in the coming months, as I said.
However, given the cross-government nature of the initiative, its success will likely require collaboration across departments and agencies, with responsibilities related to competition, regulation, procurement, economic policy and the Treasury Board, as well.
