OTTAWA — Canada’s Competition Bureau is investigating Amazon.ca to determine whether its U.S.-based owners are “impacting competition to the detriment of consumers and companies that do business in Canada.” In an announcement last week, the agency underscored that “there is no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time.”
The probe is looking at practices which could constitute “abuse of dominance” under the Competition Act. These could include practices discouraging third-party vendors from offering their wares elsewhere at lower prices or limiting their potential for success if they don’t use Amazon’s fulfillment service or advertising. “Amazon has come under the microscope for having just too much market power and [allegations] that they’re pushing around their suppliers,” retail consultant Bruce Winder explained to CBC News.
