When the government creates artificial scarcity, food prices increase.
competition
Governments in Canada have implemented many laws and regulations that discourage firms from entering a range of industries.
Canada has the second-highest levels of barrier to entry into the telecoms industry of all OECD countries.
Non-Canadian airlines are prohibited from carrying passengers between Canadian cities.
Market leaders such as Amazon, Netflix and Google will fall by the wayside if they are unable to keep innovating and satisfying consumers.
As a publicity stunt, the recent New Democratic Party proposal to limit withdrawal fees at some automated teller machines (ATMs) at fifty cents worked well. But getting publicity for an idea, including a poor one, is one thing; getting attention to useful reforms that will greatly benefit consumers is quite another. The ATM idea is a good example of the former and not the latter.
The federal governments upcoming auction of 700 MHz spectrum to take place on January 14, 2014 has created an unlikely public policy firestorm. The primary reason is the possibility that the large U.S.-based wireless carrier, Verizon, will participate in the auction after completing its proposed acquisition of Wind Mobile, a small, domestically owned wireless carrier.
The ongoing debate over the three Canadian telecommunications giants and the possibility of U.S-based Verizon entering the Canadian market has once again brought consumer issues to the fore.
I shall beg off addressing that particular issue it has been covered in detail by others, but the fact so many have passionate views is a reminder that consumer issues matter. This is unsurprising, given that almost everyone outside of some fellow in a remote cabin in North Korea is a consumer. Almost everyone then has an interest in such pocketbook issues.