The Price Transparency Act: Wrong problem, wrong solution

Canada doesn’t need a federal bureaucracy to investigate prices, writes Associate Professor Rod White in iPolitics.

Commenting on the Price Transparency Act announced last week, which allows the Competition Bureau to police and report on price differences between Canada and the U.S., White said Canadian consumers can investigate prices on their own thanks to online commerce.

If the Canadian government is really concerned about price discrimination between the U.S. and Canada, it should focus its attentions on the automotive industry, he said.

“At currency parity, new vehicles from a U.S. dealer were significantly cheaper than the same vehicles from a Canadian dealer, even after taxes, duties and cross-border certifications,” said White.