2026-2027 Annual Plan – Advancing Competition to Improve Affordability and Choice

April 2, 2026

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2026-2027 Annual Plan – Advancing Competition to Improve Affordability and Choice
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Message from the Commissioner

It is my privilege to introduce our roadmap for championing competition in 2026-2027.

As Canada continues to adapt to global changes, competition is more important than ever in protecting consumers, driving affordability, and making our economy as resilient as possible.

The three pillars of our Strategic Vision – protecting Canadians through enforcement, promoting competition in Canada, and investing in our organization – will guide our efforts.

On the enforcement front, we will continue to use all of the tools at our disposal to prevent, detect and stop unfair practices that harm consumers and businesses. Our enforcement strategies will remain agile, data-driven, and in step with technological change. We will also issue key enforcement guidelines in the wake of generational amendments to the Competition Act so that businesses can stay on the right side of the law.

On the promotion front, we will advocate for measures that remove barriers to competition, encourage market dynamism and drive economic growth. We will engage a wider audience of consumers and businesses through targeted outreach and clear communications. And we will conduct sector-specific studies and advocacy to inform policy and help lower barriers to new entrants.

In both enforcement and promotion, we will focus our efforts where they’ll have the biggest impact on affordability for Canadians.

And as the digital economy evolves and artificial intelligence creates new risks and opportunities, we will continue to adapt. This means investing in our organization, supporting professional development and adopting modern tools and approaches. Our ongoing commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace will be central to our success.

Consumers deserve competitive markets that give them more affordable choices. In the coming year, we will remain committed to meaningful action that delivers results for all Canadians.

Jeanne Pratt
Interim Commissioner of Competition

Protecting Canadians through enforcement action

Strategic Vision

Desired outcomes

  • Consumers and businesses enjoy the benefits of competition, particularly in key sectors of the economy that matter most to Canadians.
  • Anti-competitive activity is detected and addressed early.
  • New and innovative tools are used to enhance our capabilities to process large volumes of data and digital evidence, enabling investigations to hone in on probative evidence more quickly.

Objectives

  • Take timely action on matters that are important to Canadians, using all the tools at our disposal.
  • Increase proactive enforcement and leverage amendments to the Competition Act to better protect Canadians from anti-competitive activity.
  • Be a leader in the gathering, processing and analyzing of data and digital evidence.

What we will do in 2026-2027

  • Use all available tools to prevent, identify, and address anti-competitive activity.
    • Effectively apply the strengthened Competition Act to address anti-competitive activity. This includes being ready to take cases to court and using all available measures for timely and decisive action.
    • Finalize our enforcement guidelines to align with modernized legislation.
    • Complete consultation to ensure the merger review program has sustainable funding to support its ongoing effectiveness and efficiency.
  • Focus on sectors of the economy that matter to Canadians.
    • Prioritize investigations of anti-competitive conduct and mergers that raise costs or limit choice for Canadians, including sectors affecting essential household expenses, such as food and housing.
    • Continue to crack down on deceptive marketing practices to reduce hidden costs and empower Canadians to make more affordable choices.
    • Educate consumers and businesses on the difference between “Made in Canada” and “Product of Canada” through targeted enforcement and outreach.
    • Continue to focus on critical sectors that underpin economic productivity and innovation – including digital services, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, financial services, health and infrastructure.
    • Support the effective use of private access to the Competition Tribunal by monitoring cases and intervening on key legal issues to support greater competition.

Promoting competition in Canada

Strategic Vision

Desired outcomes

  • Regulators and policymakers, at all levels of government, give increased consideration to competition when designing, reviewing and amending regulations and policies.
  • We have a stronger role and presence on the domestic and international stage to enhance the Bureau’s enforcement and promotion efforts.
  • Our expertise contributes to positioning the Canadian economy for success in the digital age.
  • Businesses of all sizes are aware of their obligations under Canada’s competition and labelling laws.
  • Consumers and businesses are aware of how they can protect themselves from anti-competitive and deceptive practices.

Objectives

  • Seize opportunities to encourage competition and innovation in areas that matter to Canadians, particularly through championing a whole-of-government approach to enhancing competition.
  • Play a leadership role, both domestically and internationally, in adapting to the impact of the digital economy on competition policy.
  • Build awareness of consumer and competition issues through enhanced plain language and inclusive communication, outreach and engagement.

What we will do in 2026-2027

  • Encourage policymakers and regulators to adopt pro-competitive policies that drive economic growth.
    • Advocate for pro-competitive policies at all levels of government to drive productivity and economic growth. This includes empowering policymakers with the tools to address regulatory barriers to competition, including interprovincial trade barriers.
    • Focus efforts on removing barriers to entry and expansion, particularly in strategically important sectors, to improve market access for new and smaller competitors and expand choice for Canadians.
    • Engage stakeholders to advance informed public discussion and understanding of key competition issues.
  • Advocate for increased competition in sectors that matter to Canadians.
    • Complete the market study report on competition for financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to support policies that enhance access to capital essential for productivity gains and economic growth.
    • Initiate research on emerging issues in the Canadian economy, particularly those related to affordability, and their impact on Canadian consumers.
  • Create and deepen international and domestic relationships.
    • Take an active role in international organizations and networks to lead efforts in advancing competition enforcement and policy.
    • Continue to seek and establish new domestic and global partnerships focussed on the future of competition enforcement and promotion.
    • Work closely with domestic partners and explore new ways to collaborate, share information, and identify best practices.
    • Negotiate the competition chapters in Canada’s trade agreements and apply a competition perspective to other provisions, in support of the Government of Canada’s trade policy priorities.
  • Increase our outreach and promotion efforts to engage a wider and more diverse audience of Canadian consumers and businesses.
    • Provide Canadians with tools and information to help prevent scams and  illegal activity through clear communication and awareness campaigns, such as Fraud Prevention Month.
    • Strengthen competitive procurement outcomes by working with government partners and promoting the Procurement Hub.
    • Ensure our competition promotion and enforcement efforts are easy to access. This includes continuing to use plain language and being open and transparent where possible.
    • Promote compliance by enhancing our resources, guidance and stakeholder relationships focusing on Canadian small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This includes increasing awareness of our Compliance Hub to help businesses understand and meet competition and labelling requirements.

Investing in our organization

Strategic Vision

Desired outcomes

  • Our organization fosters a healthy and positive workplace that embraces diversity, accessibility, inclusion, official languages, innovation, ethics and teamwork.
  • Our employees have the right skills and technology to enhance our enforcement activities and keep pace in the digital economy.
  • Our workforce is comprised of individuals with diverse experience and expertise relevant to digital enforcement and promotion.

Objectives

  • Support continuous learning and development of our people while encouraging a culture of well-being, particularly by empowering employees to contribute to decision-making and innovative practices.
  • Modernize our processes and technology to work more effectively and keep pace with the digital economy.
  • Recruit from diverse educational and professional backgrounds to ensure that our organization benefits from wide-reaching expertise and varying perspectives.

What we will do in 2026-2027

  • Continue to make employee health and safety a top priority in our work.
    • Prioritize employee health and wellness by strengthening our culture of well-being through formal training, learning, and wellness initiatives that support physical and mental health.
    • Adapt how we work to remain inclusive and accessible while navigating through a transitional period.
  • Promote reconciliation, equity, accessibility, diversity, inclusion, and support for official languages throughout our organization.
    • Equip managers at all levels with the tools and training necessary to supervise employees and lead their teams inclusively.
    • Foster a culture that supports bilingualism by ensuring employees can work in the official language of their choice, strengthening the Bureau’s capacity to deliver services in both English and French, and promoting leadership that champions official-languages obligations.
    • Protect and promote the diversity and inclusivity of our workforce to better reflect the Canadian population.
  • Ensure our capabilities keep up with new business practices, enforcement strategies, and technology.
    • Equip our organization with the tools and training needed for enforcement and promotion in an ever-changing economy.
    • Expand adoption and responsible use of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, to enhance our enforcement and promotion efforts.
    • Continue to modernize our systems and procedures to unify and streamline data management practices, to support enforcement and promotion efforts.
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