Canadian Lawyer

June 2021

The most widely read magazine for Canadian lawyers

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www.canadianlawyermag.com 29 "Antitrust is sexy these days," she says, espe- cially when it comes to the question of powerful digital players. Regulators worldwide are focused on these FANGA firms — Facebook, Apple, Netflix, Google and Amazon. "They are very big in the public's imagi- nation right now and big with politicians," Aitken says. To the extent that people will look to the competition agencies to solve some of the issues that come from these firms' posi- tion in the market, a review of the regulators' resources is better than outlawing through legislation specific types of acquisitions these companies might make. While competition bureau merger reviews may be a sexy topic these days, Joneja at Blakes offers a reminder about the intense interest in megadeals like the proposed Rogers-Shaw transaction. "It is essential to keep in mind that the vast majority of deals in Canada, even ones that require mandatory review by the bureau, don't raise competition issues. "When these deals come up, there's always some discussion of the need for a review, but for the most part, the bureau is doing what is supposed to do." BUREAU MERGER REVIEWS ONGOING AT END OF FISCAL YEAR 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 2019-20 total 2017-18 total 2015-16 total 2018-19 total 2016-17 total 2014-15 total 31 37 36 32 24 22 Pamela Santora LLM in Criminal Law and Procedure (2022) Assistant Crown Attorney, Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General

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