January 11, 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:

• CAMP looks back on a year of anti-monopoly accomplishments in 2025
• Public interest challenges to app store and live entertainment monopolies in Canada emerge over the holidays
• Canada can’t afford to ignore the proposed takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery

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Now let’s dive in.

Wishing You a Very Anti-Monopoly Year Ahead

As we think about the year ahead and all the unknowns it holds, we’re also looking back on the wins and losses that occurred in the last year. 2025 was a rollercoaster of a year, throwing Canada and countries around the world into new frontiers of uncertainty. But amid the chaos there were signs of progress and potential that we can all build on in 2026. Around the world, regulators realize the importance of competition and taking the danger of monopolies seriously. Despite trade disruptions and threats to hold sovereignty hostage, 2025 saw several countries develop and implement new policies to push back against domestic and global gatekeepers that stand in the way of fair economies and democracies.

Looking back on the year in anti-monopoly in Canada, CAMP has put together a summary of our own contributions to this fight. Through research, commentary, and advocacy, CAMP pushed policymakers to protect Canadians in sectors ranging from airlines to agriculture. We’re glad to see that these efforts are beginning to bear fruit. 2025 saw major grocers abandon competition-killing property controls following Competition Bureau scrutiny, emerging public interest challenges to monopolies, and reforms in important sectors like banking to open markets up to competition. The pace of change can be frustrating, but actions are now in motion that will begin to deliver real benefits to everyday Canadians.

In 2026, CAMP will build on this momentum by focusing our efforts on what we think are some of the most important next steps for the anti-monopoly movement. That means using anti-monopoly policy to make life more affordable for Canadians and mitigating risks to our country’s sovereignty. To accomplish both, Canada needs a strong competition cop to enforce our laws and protect the interests of consumers, workers and entrepreneurs. We don’t yet know the highs and lows that 2026 will bring, but with help from allies at home and abroad, CAMP is poised to make 2026 a very anti-monopoly year.

📰 CAMP in the News 📰

• ​Cellphone plans could be getting more expensive after years of falling prices, data suggest (The Globe and Mail)
• ​Anti-monopoly watchdog calling for more competition in Alberta’s mountain parks (CBC Edmonton)

Public Interest Competition Law Challenges Begin to Ramp Up

In the last days of 2025, the table was being set for two very important competition law fights in 2026. Just days before Christmas, two Canadian civil society institutions, the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) and the Consumers Council of Canada (CCC), filed applications to have their competition cases heard before the Competition Tribunal. These applications were made possible by the new private right of action introduced in 2024 that allows for third parties to bring competition complaints before the Competition Tribunal based on the public interest. Whether these applications are heard, and the outcome of these cases if they are, will have a major impact on the future of competition law in Canada.

Both cases strike at important gatekeepers in different parts of the Canadian economy. CIPPIC’s applicationtargets Apple’s practices around the iOS App Store, which has near total control over what and how applications can be installed on Apple mobile devices, and how developers bring those applications to market. CIPPIC alleges Apple has abused its dominant position by engaging in exclusive dealing, tied selling, and charging excessive monopoly tolls. The Consumer Council application targets Live Nation, the infamous owner of Ticketmaster and many of Canada’s major entertainment venues. CCC alleges this monopoly has allowed Live Nation to drive up ticket prices, cut competitors out of the market, and funnel business to Ticketmaster at the expense of consumers and artists.

These applications are setting 2026 up as a critical year for enforcement of Canada’s newly reformed competition laws. For years, CAMP argued that Canada needed a robust private access regime that allowed organizations other than the Competition Bureau to bring anti-monopoly cases and we are thrilled to see these new laws in action. But we can’t celebrate yet. Should the Competition Tribunal reject these applications, we might be back to square one on creating new avenues to challenge monopolies in the Canadian economy. CAMP will be watching closely as these cases progress and providing Letters readers with a window into this exciting and evolving area of Canadian competition law.

📚 What We’re Reading 📚

• Stofferahn, 2026 Resolution: Lower Grocery Prices (You’re Probably Getting Screwed)
• Shell, Four key steps can help secure Canadian sovereignty (The Hill Times)

Canada Isn’t Off the Hook for Netflix-Warner Bros.

The proposed sale of American media conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery continues to grind on, with the company’s board recently rejecting Paramount’s competing hostile takeover bid in favour of Netflix’s $72 billion offer. The transaction puts several important entertainment and news industry holdings in play, including Warner Bros. movie production arm, competitor streaming service HBO Max, and cable news channels such as CNN. If authorities allow Warner Bros. to be acquired by either Netflix or Paramount, the transaction would mark another step in the monopolization of the North American media landscape.

In a piece for the Winnipeg Free Press, CAMP executive director Keldon Bester and competition lawyer Josh Krane argue that while the companies involved are American, the shockwaves of the transaction will be felt in Canada and authorities have a responsibility to act. The takeover of Warner Bros. would reduce choice and competition for Canadians who enjoy streaming services, reduce employment for Canadian artists and production staff who make content for streaming services, and reduce supply for the Canadian companies who distribute and exhibit films for audiences who value seeing movies in person. With this level of potential impact in the Canadian entertainment market, the Competition Bureau cannot shrug its shoulders and declare this a problem for the Americans to solve.

While the takeover is a lose-lose-lose for Canadians and Americans alike, the incentives for making it happen are clear for Warner Bros. executives. CEO David Zaslav alone stands to pocket as much as $500 million should he be able to sell off the company he’s led since 2022. But even the potential buyers should beware, as it was a misguided appetite for mergers that put Warner Bros., whose major business lines continue to churn out critical and financial successes, in a financially precarious position. In a tale as old as time, the debt taken on to support past consolidation is coming back to haunt the acquirer and keep the consolidation train running. Whether Netflix or Paramount comes out ahead in the boardroom battle over Warner Bros., Canadian authorities need to defend the interests of Canadian viewers, creators, and exhibitors.

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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