5 measures in the fiscal update aimed at saving Canadians money

financialpost.com:

OTTAWA — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled a fall economic statement on Nov. 21 that aims to support middle-class Canadians amid soaring consumer prices and looming mortgage renewals.

She announced $168 million in new spending over six years for programs focused on saving Canadians money.

Here’s what the government proposes to do.

The Liberals have proposed several amendments to the Competition Act in an attempt to improve consumer choice and lower prices.

The economic statement proposes a “crackdown” on predatory pricing and “killer acquisitions.”

Proposed legislative changes would also broaden the reach of the law so more private parties can bring cases before the Competition Tribunal and receive payment if they win.

The government also wants to make sure that when Canada opens market access to trade partners, Canadian companies are given similar access abroad.

“Going forward, Canada will consider reciprocity as a key design element for new policies, including certain clean economy investment tax credits, federal procurement and federally funded infrastructure projects,” the government announced in the statement.

“This includes reciprocal procurement to ensure that countries that do not provide Canadian goods and services with a similar level of market access do not unfairly benefit from access to Canada’s markets.”

The economic statement included new details about efforts to reduce junk fees for consumers that were announced in last spring’s federal budget.

The government plans to update its air passenger protection regulations to make sure that children under the age of 14 can sit with an accompanying adult free of charge.

And the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is being asked to