The Canadian government is unveiling a legislation that will give the Competition Bureau the ability to investigate cases of price discrimination across the country.
According to Industry Minister James Moore, the proposed price transparency act is aimed at ending the unjustified price disparities between Canada and the U.S., specifically on items that are priced different based on the country they are sold in. Moore also says that that the bill has the support of the Retail Council of Canada and Canada’s largest consumer groups.
The Conservatives previously vowed to limit the price difference between the two counties after Canadian consumers have been speaking out about paying more than their American neighbours for the same items.
Moore said in a press conference, “It’s called geographic price discrimination. A more blunt way of putting it is to call it … price gouging of Canadian consumers because of where Canadians live. These price differences are real, they hurt the bottom line of hard-working families, and they hurt Canadian retailers who have to absorb this cost of unfair pricing.” CJ