Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA)
February 2024
In this edition of Consumer Edge, find resources on the Government of Canada's new Grocery Affordability page, read about recent changes to the Competition Act and check out a report by Union des consommateurs (UC) on the evolution of e-commerce. You'll also learn about one of the most common types of online tricks, the romance scam.
Introducing the new Grocery Affordability page
Are you looking for a way to stay informed on the Government of Canada's (GoC) continued work on food affordability?
Enter the recently published Grocery Affordability page! In one location, you can access a variety of resources like Statistics Canada's Food Price Data Hub, a round-up of the latest food affordability news from the GoC and tools that will help you be a confident and well-informed shopper.
Tip: Bookmark the page on your preferred Web browser so you can find it with ease!
Recent changes to the Competition Act
In case you missed it, there were important amendments made to the Competition Act on December 15, 2023. This is great news for consumers because a competitive economy drives lower prices and can help make life more affordable.
The amendments:
- Create a framework so it's easier for the Competition Bureau to gather information for market studies;
- Eliminate the efficiencies defence, which may be used to justify mergers and collaborations that harm competition;
- Strengthen the Competition Bureau's ability to prevent abuse of dominance and;
- Expand the scope of the law to reduce anti-competitive business collaborations.
With this modernization, the Competition Bureau can operate with more effective tools to protect and promote competition.
Want to learn more? Check out the Bureau's Guide to the December 2023 amendments to the Competition Act.
From the Warehouse to the Living Room: The Evolution of E-Commerce as examined by Union des consommateurs (UC)
Shopping through an e-commerce platform like an online marketplace can be convenient, as it offers a wide range of products from different sellers. But, it can also be challenging to identify the right point of contact if something goes wrong.
Union des consommateurs (UC) recently studied the consumer experience and difficulties that may arise from buying from non-traditional actors and third-party sellers online. UC's study, From the warehouse to the living room: evolution of e-commerce (scroll to the bottom of the French summary page to view the English report), examines how the process of buying physical goods online has changed over the years and whether these changes create new challenges for consumers. UC also considers the existing consumer protection laws in Canada and if they remain effective to protect Canadians given the evolution of e-commerce.
The organization received funds from the Office of Consumer Affairs' Canadian Consumer Protection Initiative to complete the study and to produce the associated report.
Protect your heart and your personal information from scammers
Valentine's Day is around the corner and you might be looking to meet your perfect match online, but you wouldn't want cupid's arrow to leave a lasting sting. Before you share any personal information with your cyber-sweetheart, be mindful that even when you're looking for love, some scammers might be trying to pull at your heart strings and your purse strings.
Get to know the signs of romance scams and, if you or someone you know has been victimized by fraud or cybercrime, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre!
Consumer news spotlight:
Find more consumer-related information from the Government of Canada on the News for consumers page.
