The State of Dominance in the Canadian Telecommunication Sector and the Effectiveness of the Subsection 79(1) of the Competition Act in Discouraging Abuse among the Dominant Firms

Abstract

By choosing this dissertation, the author intends to leverage his background from the corporate America to contribute to the ongoing research on the effectiveness of Competition Act in Canada, and the efficacy of the current disciplinary measure to discourage dominant abuse. In the process, the writer aims to explore the European competition law (Competition Act) and the American Antitrust (Sherman Act) to paint a clearer picture of how the Competition Act in Canada is measuring up compared to other western countries. The author hopes the outcome of this research would validate the collective desire by the public for equality in telecom sectors. Depending on the conclusion drawn from the available facts, and the relevance of the recommendation made by the writer, the author may elect to share a copy of this dissertation with the Commissioner of the Competition Bureau in hope a discussion can be initiated to review the existing enforcement of competition act relative to the behaviour of the dominant firms. The author chose to research about this topic for various reasons that include: i) the plight of households, who have found telecom service in Canada expensive, largely due to limited service providers. ii) acquisition of small-medium firms by dominant firms iii) confiscation of the market share by the dominant firms iv) abuse of dominant status. By conducting a research in this important aspect, the writer hope to communicate a clearer message to the stakeholders about the shortcomings of the existing legislation, and the need to review the current punitive measures (Subsection 79) in line with the changing economic conditions.