February 15, 2026

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 instalment we have:

• What comes next now that the Trump Administration has fired their antitrust chief
• CAMP recommendations adopted in updated Bureau merger enforcement guidance
• Europe moves quickly to prevent Meta from closing WhatsApp to third-party AI apps

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Now let’s dive in.

We Hardly Knew Ye: Slater Ousted as U.S. Antitrust Chief

After long-simmering tensions between staff at the U.S. Department of Justice who actually wanted to enforce American antitrust laws and the bulldozer of Trump lobbying, the head of the DOJ’s antitrust division, Gail Slater, has “““resigned”””. Described as a competent technocrat trying to survive in a “den of vipers,” Slater was a close ally of Vice President Vance who appeared genuinely committed to enforcing antitrust laws effectively, especially when it came to Big Tech.

But it wasn’t long before that commitment ran headfirst into the preeminence of powerful lobbyists in Trump’s orbit. This was clearest in the clash over the HPE-Juniper merger settlement that saw senior DOJ attorney Roger Alford resign in protest over political influence in the enforcement decision. Ultimately, Slater’s performance did not live up to the hopes, including ours, that she would continue the bipartisan effort to rein in American monopolies. While important antitrust cases and appeals were kept afloat, settlements proliferated and no major merger challenges were launched under her watch.

Despite Slater’s middling performance, her ousting is most certainly bad news for the future of American antitrust. One thing we’ll be on the lookout for is an attempt at a sweetheart settlement with Ticketmaster instead of the breakup that the DOJ was pursuing. Thankfully, American antitrust is much more than just the DOJ and FTC. For Ticketmaster and other cases, state attorneys general have joined federal enforcers and can keep cases moving even if federal agencies are told to stand down. Slater’s firing puts to rest our confidence in the Trump administration’s approach to antitrust, but that doesn’t mean the American anti-monopoly movement is out of the fight.

📰 CAMP in the News 📰

• ​Keldon Bester, the Executive Director of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project on how Canada is falling behind policing online scams (Vassy Kapelos Show)

A Very Nerdy Victory Lap

Bear with us as we talk about competition law enforcement guidelines again. Two weeks ago, it was anti-competitive conduct and agreements (rolls right off the tongue). This week it’s mergers. As a refresher, enforcement guidelines are one way the Competition Bureau communicates to the public about how it will enforce the Competition Act. This is particularly important when it comes to mergers, as the guidelines shape the deals that lawyers and bankers bring out of boardrooms. Stricter guidelines mean less cavalier consolidation attempts.

In 2024, CAMP participated in the Competition Bureau’s consultation on updating its merger enforcement guidelines for the first time in over a decade. In late 2025, the Bureau released their proposed update based on what they heard. In a welcome development, the Bureau has incorporated nearly all of CAMP’s recommendations in the proposed guidelines. This means the Bureau is communicating a much stricter approach to potentially harmful mergers than we’ve seen in the past.

The Bureau’s enforcement guidelines are just one part of defending competition in Canada but we’re taking the opportunity for a victory lap. In 2023 and 2024 we were able to get major amendments to the Competition Act across the line, and these updated guidelines are another step in the process of delivering more competition for Canadians. Now it’s up to the Bureau to make good on their own guidance. It’s one thing to talk about stricter merger laws, it’s another thing to actually enforce them.

📚 What We’re Reading 📚

• Denis, Voler le Show (Radio Canada)
• Vaheesan, Europe Should Reject U.S.-Style Competitiveness (Project Syndicate)
• Nowak, America’s Enshittification is Canada’s Opportunity (Do Not Pass Go)

Europe Moves Quickly to Block Meta’s AI Ban

This week, the European Commission notified Meta that it would be an imposing an interim action against the tech giant’s blocking of third-party AI apps integrated with WhatsApp. Back in October of 2025, Meta announced it was changing the terms of its WhatsApp program for businesses, effectively banning third-party (e.g. non-Meta) AI assistants from interacting with users on the platform. The Commission argues that closing off access to WhatsApp and its users, Meta is weakening competition in the market for AI assistants.

While we often think of WhatsApp as a way to connect with friends and family, it’s just as important as a way for businesses to interact with customers around the world, and with billions of users worldwide, WhatsApp is a critical channel of communications and commerce. A key tenet of communication regulation is the prevention of unjust discrimination when it comes to access to communications networks. By preventing Meta from favouring its own AI assistants, the Commission is making good on that principle of non-discrimination.

Europe’s action is also notable because of its speed. European competition law enforcers opened the investigation just last December and made use of a temporary order to stop the potentially harmful conduct while the Commission determines the full extent of the harms. Typical antitrust investigations can go on for years, with competition-killing conduct continuing through litigation and possible appeals. By moving quickly and using temporary orders, European regulators are keeping markets contestable and putting the onus on Big Tech to put an end to its anti-competitive restrictions.

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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