Howard Wetston, who previously held the top position at the Competition Bureau, said a federally-appointed panel should focus on “controversial areas of reform,” such as the law’s objectives and whether regulators should intervene when dominant firms buy new challengers. His recommendations came in a commentary published Wednesday summarizing responses to a consultation he launched in October 2021. (The Logic)

Talking point: Wetston identified some areas where many commentators agreed, such as letting firms bring allegations about rivals’ behaviour to the Competition Tribunal and updating a loophole that permits anticompetitive mergers if they result in significant cost-savings or efficiencies. But he also wrote about the tensions making the discussion a fraught one. One faction, which Wetston labels “populist,” is calling for an overhaul of the law to reflect the new ways in which digital giants maintain and use their market power. A status quo camp is seeking more minor revisions and opposes its expansion to issues like privacy and inequality. Expect more debate: in this month’s budget, the federal government promised to introduce legislative amendments to the Competition Act, focused in part on digital issues.