A watchdog needs to bark at price-fixing in this economy
Deirdre McMurdy, Sympatico / MSN Finance
One of the more startling lessons of life in Ottawa is how often it turns out that seemingly-small, bureaucratic points have remarkable consumer resonance.
In any case, the Competition Bureau is currently without a head since the former one, Sheridan Scott, left just before the end of her five-year term in January. There's nothing wrong with the interim head, except that the federal government has declared it will make some changes to competition legislation sometime soon.
That's something that poses a challenge, because someone has to explain and enforce that new code. And it would be nice if already-beleaguered private sector companies could have an ongoing relationship with that person.
It's also important because with so many weakened companies out there, we're bound to see a whole lot of survival mergers that save jobs and shareholder value, but also end up concentrating ownership within sectors.
For consumers, that may end up being a challenge without a champion.
Posted by: rodney | Feb 10, 2009 1:40:29 AM
Right, that`s gonna happen.
Seems to me if you throw the dog a nice big bone he won`t give a rats ass what you do.
"Watch Dog", they become "Puppets" real quick.
Pay attention to the next one and see for yourself.
Posted by: we employ a failed gov't | Feb 11, 2009 6:34:22 AM
coincidence?
perish the thought.
indicative of the current gov't and it's concern for consumers.....?
uh uh...couldn't be.
nope. not a chance.
furthest from the truth.
leaving the doors wide open for abuse?
hardly.
not even remotely.
reducing the amount of people to pay off in order for business to have it's way with us?
beyond imaginable.
precisely the type of protection i have come to expect from the honourable mr. harper.
perhaps he's too busy orchestrating a majority gov't.
again.
Posted by: luvubaybe | Apr 2, 2009 11:07:03 AM
Speaking of watch dog? Has anyone been watching gasoline prices? When OIL was $35 per barrel, the GASOLINE price was $0.70 ish were the oil ( read buddies of Bush ) losing money.. NO. Now oil has gone up a whole $15 to $50 per barrel but gasoline has gone up to $0.95 ish. Tell me how is this justified?? (We are talking liter prices here, how many liters per barrel? ) Are people, you , me, government so preoccupied with how the USA bankrupt the world to pay attention to their daily costs? Time to point Obama at the real root of the problem .. almost anything Bush and buddies did needs to be undone and made whole again and hopefully better.