In November, commissioner Matthew Boswell called for a “comprehensive review” of the Competition Act. In an interview with The Logic last week, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said he was “open to the idea of what we can do with respect to competition law in Canada.” However, he would not commit to introducing legislation next year. (The Logic)

Talking point: The last major federal review of competition policy concluded in June 2008. Some policy experts say it urgently needs to be updated to reflect how new digital business models, data accumulation and industry consolidation are affecting markets. Boswell and independent observers also point to reforms and regulatory powers in the U.K., U.S. and EU, although some legal experts say there’s no need for “sweeping” changes. Champagne said he’d met Boswell’s request for more resources—the Liberals’ April budget included an extra $96 million over five years and ongoing funding for the Competition Bureau. “It’s very good to have laws on the book, but you need to have the enforcement capability,” he said. He said his top legislative priority right now is updating consumer-privacy laws.