According to a new report by Ivey Professor Paul Boothe, Director, Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management, the federal government needs to do more to help Canada become competitive within a global marketplace. In particular, the report argues, Canada needs to adopt a more welcoming approach to foreign investment.
The report titled “Compete to Win” was commissioned by The Canadian Council of Chief Executives commissioned as a way of assessing the government’s progress in implementing recommendations of the 2007-08 federal Competition Policy Review Panel, chaired by Lynton “Red” Wilson.
Boothe acknowledges the federal government deserves high marks for modernizing the Competition Act in ways that make it more flexible and create more certainty for firms undertaking mergers, but there are still many policy areas where Canada can do better.
“Regardless of which party forms the government following the next general election, improving the state of competition needs to be a key priority,” said Boothe. “Canada cannot afford to be branded as ‘closed for business’ by large international capital pools, including those with government backing.”
