In January 2023, I last wrote about the proposed takeover of Shaw Communications by Rogers Communications.
At that time, this proposed takeover had been studied by the Parliamentary Committee on Industry and Technology, which ultimately recommended that 鈥渢he committee believes the merger should not proceed.鈥
The final decision to approve or reject this proposed deal fell to the Liberal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Fran莽ois-Philippe Champagne, who is also the MP for Saint-Maurice-Champlain in Quebec.
At the time, opponents of this proposed deal were concerned it would result in less competition in an industry that already offers little choice for Canadian consumers. Many feared this would lead to reduced competition and higher prices.
As is often the case with the Liberal government, they ignored all of the concerns and went ahead and approved the deal.
This is not unlike how the Liberals ignored concerns over Bill C-18 which led to Facebook blocking media content on the platform.
This week, Canadians learned that Netflix plans to withdraw funding for
initiatives supporting Canadian creators, following the Liberals鈥 dismissal of concerns over Bill C-11, 鈥淭he Online Streaming Act.鈥
To date, Netflix has invested over
$25 million, helping produce diverse
programming from various creators, including those from Indigenous
communities.
Even more concerning, Google recently announced that it will implement a 2.5% 鈥渄igital services tax鈥 charge for consumers next week.
This move simply passes on the DST that the Trudeau Liberal government imposed on Google.
The tax will increase costs for Canadian businesses, potentially putting them at a disadvantage when competing with U.S. businesses that won't be subject to this tax.
Returning to the Trudeau government鈥檚 approval of Rogers takeover of Shaw Communications, it's crucial to note that at the time, minister Champagne claimed this deal 鈥渨ould drive wireless prices down for Canadians鈥 and promised to 鈥渨atch the telcos 'like a hawk' on Canadians鈥 behalf.鈥
I mention this because this week, a former Shaw customer sent me invoices detailing his recent experience with Rogers after his two-year agreement with Shaw had expired.
After agreeing to a new 2-year contract renewal rate with Rogers, the monthly charges began to increase significantly after only two months.
The reason for this increase? Hidden in the fine print of the contract renewal, Rogers Communications reserves the right to raise the monthly rental rate for equipment.
Surprisingly, this applies even to devices over three years old
鈥 as was the case here. This equipment was still subject to a monthly rate hike.
This raises the question: why have a contract at all if Rogers can simply increase the prices? After spending over three hours with customer service, this constituent was finally told that Rogers would honour the contract they originally agreed to. From my perspective, a clear pattern emerges. Facebook鈥檚 blocking of local news content, Netflix's potential withdrawal of funding from Canadian creative producers, and consumers being charged more for wireless services all point to Liberal arrogance and a refusal to heed their critics.
This trend is troubling and demands attention.
The NDP continues to condemn
what they call 鈥渃orporate greed;鈥
however, they stand with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom they accuse of enabling that same greed.
Are you satisfied with your wireless services?