Episode description

Welcome to a fascinating little corner of contract and competition law that could leave a lasting impact on Canada's grocery industry. Last week, the competition bureau revealed it was investigating the parent companies of two of the country's largest grocers in relation to controls they have applied to their lease agreements.

These sorts of controls are common in all sorts of agreements—but the bureau alleges that Loblaws and Sobeys are using them in an unfair and anticompetitive manner, so it's begun a process that could ultimately see them taken to court. Exactly what is the bureau looking at? How much power does it have in this situation? And how much might Canadians learn about the inner workings of our grocery giants?

GUEST: Jennifer Quaid, Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law, specializing in corporate accountability, competition and business regulation

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