When Governments Let Algorithms Decide Prices
In April, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was asked a simple question: Would Ontario follow Manitoba and ban surveillance pricing on groceries? His answer was equally simple. No.
He believes, he said, in a free-market, capitalist society. Competition, not regulation, is the best driver of lower prices. If collusion is happening, he will tear retailers “to shreds.” When pressed on whether that meant he was comfortable with grocery stores using surveillance pricing on basic food items, he was clear: “I did not say that.” He simply would not act against it.
The problem is that Premier Ford is describing a different problem from the one Ontarians actually face, and his response reflects a pattern playing out across governments in North America. Collusion is illegal, and the Competition Bureau of Canada already has tools to address it. Surveillance pricing is something else entirely, and a competitive market offers no protection from it whatsoever.
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