March 30, 2024

Welcome to Letters from CAMP, a newsletter on anti-monopoly activity in Canada and abroad, brought to you by the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project. In this installment we have:

• CAMP is on the lookout for a talented policy analyst to focus on monopoly in digital markets
• A new book argues Canada must break with its history of failed corporate welfare
• New research shows national champion policies support meat monopolies that cost consumers

Now let’s dive in.

CAMP is Hiring an Anti-Monopoly Analyst

CAMP is excited to announce that we are hiring a Policy Analyst position to support our work on protecting competition and sovereignty in digital markets. This is a full-time, remote role aimed at addressing monopoly concerns in markets at the vanguard of our economy at a time when Canada’s relationship with American tech firms is rapidly changing. The successful candidate will draft influential policy reports, stay up to date on global policy developments, and advocate solutions to Canada’s pressing monopoly challenges.

We seek candidates passionate about building a more democratic and resilient economy with strong analytical and communication skills, ready to engage deeply with policy issues that shape our economy. The ideal applicant has a keen interest in public policy, competition, and technology markets, combined with a drive to challenge concentrated economic power.

We encourage readers to share this opportunity with your network and anyone who might be a strong fit for this impactful role. Together, we can build markets that are competitive, resilient, and serve all Canadians.

For more details and to apply, check out the Policy Analyst posting on the CAMP site. Applications close April 18, 2025.

📰 CAMP in the News 📰

• Baxter, Private equity plunderers in our midst (Halifax Examiner)

Trump Tariffs Cannot Be a Blank Cheque for Corporate Canada

As Trump’s ever-shifting tariff threats continue to disrupt Canada’s relationship with the United States, policymakers are facing pressure from corporate lobbies for extensive subsidies to "protect" domestic industries. In his newly published book, At the Trough, industrial policy expert Laurent Carbonneau argues against repeating the mistakes of Canada’s corporate welfare past.

In recent commentary for The Globe and Mail, Carbonneau emphasizes that crisis-driven subsidies in Canada have historically entrenched powerful incumbents without fostering lasting economic resilience or public benefit. Instead, large corporations frequently capitalized on public funds, enhancing their dominance without corresponding improvements in innovation or productivity.

With federal subsidies ballooning to $33 billion annually by 2024, ignoring the lessons of the past risks reinforcing the ills of corporate concentration and diverting essential resources from critical public needs like housing, healthcare, and infrastructure.

Instead of another round of corporate welfare, the current tariff-driven economic crisis presents an opportunity to chart a different course. Policymakers should prioritize strategic investments in genuinely beneficial public infrastructure and economic policies that decentralize economic power and broadly stimulate economic growth. As Carbonneau’s book shows, Canada’s corporate titans were at the trough well before Trump took office.

📚 What We’re Reading 📚

• MacLeod and Owen, In a changed world, Canada faces an information war. There is an answer (Toronto Star)
• Barrett, Non-compete clauses to be banned for workers including hairdressers and those in childcare in 2025 federal budget (The Guardian)
• ​Fight Corporate Monopolies Launches Freedom From Monopolies NY to Support Flurry of Antimonopoly Legislation in New York (Fight Corporate Monopolies)

National Champion Policies Make Meat Industry Monopolies

A groundbreaking new paper reveals how national champion policies have intensified corporate concentration in global meat supply chains, benefitting a small group of multinational corporations at significant public cost. Researchers detail how state-supported "national champions" in countries like Brazil have driven aggressive consolidation, resulting in just a few firms—like Brazil’s JBS—controlling vast portions of the global meat market.

Unsurprisingly, this concentration has not translated into widespread economic benefits or food security improvements for ordinary citizens. Instead, the research highlights the negative consequences that have followed: price manipulation, reduced market resilience, and increased vulnerability to supply disruptions. Canada has not been immune to this drive towards consolidation at the expense of consumers and farmers. Over 80% of beef processing in Canada is dominated by just two companies, one of them being JBS.

No matter the pitch for championing corporate giants through public policy, the real outcomes are almost always undermining competition, driving up consumer prices, and weakening economic resilience. This research underscores a key message: Bigger isn’t always better. Economic uncertainty is no excuse for stepping away from the robust approach to competition policy essential to safeguarding economic stability and public welfare in our food system.

If you have any monopoly tips or stories you'd like to share, drop us a line at hello@antimonopoly.ca

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