Competition Bureau to keep pressure on businesses as affordability bites
Acting commissioner Jeanne Pratt says the bureau will press on with high-profile enforcement and focus on online practices such as drip pricing to protect consumers facing rising costs.
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By Torontoer Staff
Acting Competition Commissioner Jeanne Pratt says the bureau will maintain an aggressive enforcement posture as Canadians continue to feel pressure from higher prices. Pratt, who assumed the interim role in December, told reporters the agency’s priority is to keep up the pace of investigations and prosecutions amid economic headwinds.
Pratt framed the approach in plain terms: the bureau will pursue practices that undermine consumer choice and inflate costs, particularly as more shopping moves online and new business models create opportunities for hidden fees.
New leadership, familiar agenda
Pratt is a 15-year bureau veteran and former lawyer who stepped into the top job after Matthew Boswell’s departure. Boswell’s tenure intensified scrutiny of major tech platforms and household brands alike. Pratt says she intends to keep that momentum while the bureau’s high-profile cases proceed through the courts.
Keeping our foot on the gas is my top priority.
Jeanne Pratt, acting Competition Commissioner
Cases already in the system include investigations and litigation involving big names in tech, food delivery and entertainment. Many date from Boswell’s leadership and remain active as courts consider evidence and appeals.
Drip pricing and the Cineplex ruling
One focus for the bureau is drip pricing, where fees are disclosed late in a transaction and the final price is higher than the advertised amount. The practice has risen with e-commerce and was central to a landmark tribunal decision against Cineplex.
The tribunal found Cineplex’s online booking fee constituted deceptive marketing and imposed a $38.9-million penalty after recent amendments to the Competition Act allowed more robust enforcement. Cineplex appealed the ruling and sought a higher court review; the appeal court recently sided with the bureau, and Cineplex has said it may ask the Supreme Court to hear the case.
Consumers should be able to pay the price that is represented to them, so they can make the best-informed choice about where their scarce dollars are going and not have to face fees down the line when they get to the checkout.
Jeanne Pratt
Pratt did not confirm whether other drip pricing probes are underway. She said she hopes the outcome sends a clear signal to businesses: penalties for deceptive pricing can be significant, and enforcement will follow where practices harm informed consumer choice.
What this means for consumers and businesses
For consumers, the bureau’s stance aims to reduce surprise costs and make comparison shopping more effective. For businesses, it reinforces the need for clear, up-front pricing and transparent marketing practices as the regulatory environment tightens.
- Check final totals before completing online purchases and look for disclosed fees early in the checkout process.
- Compare advertised prices across retailers but include likely mandatory fees in your calculation.
- Businesses should clearly disclose any mandatory charges at the point of advertising or add them to advertised prices.
Pratt said the bureau must also keep pace with business innovation: as companies adopt new sales tactics and digital models, enforcement and guidance will need to evolve to protect informed consumer choice and fair competition.
The road ahead
Several of the bureau’s notable files will continue through appeals and possible Supreme Court consideration. Pratt said the agency will defend its decisions where necessary and use enforcement outcomes to shape business behaviour. She framed the work as practical: protect consumers, preserve competition and reduce barriers to effective comparison shopping.
The bureau’s next moves will be watched closely by retailers, platforms and consumers who are balancing tighter household budgets. Pratt’s message is straightforward: the agency will press on in pursuit of clear pricing and honest marketing, even as the legal battles play out.
Pratt’s tenure will be measured by how the bureau enforces existing rules and adapts to new commercial practices. For now, the bureau says it will keep focusing on practices that directly affect what Canadians pay at checkout.
Competition Bureauconsumer protectiondrip pricingJeanne PrattCineplex
