Ryan Williams 🇨🇦 | The Competition Guy

Why is everything so expensive in Canada?
Usually the answer is lack of competition.
Former MP. Entrepreneur.

[Ryan Williams 🇨🇦 | The Competition Guy @Ryan_r_Williams]

Cell phones, airlines, grocery stores: Canada’s Monopoly Problem.

How did we get here. How do we get out.

[Ryan Williams 🇨🇦 | The Competition Guy @Ryan_r_Williams]

Canadians voted for a government promising to stand up to Trump. Now we’re seeing the consequences: 50% U.S. tariffs on $28B of Canadian goods, dollar-for-dollar retaliation and suspended talks.

This is a serious economic escalation. The PM needs to address the country today.

[Robyn Urback @RobynUrback]

The Online News Act is bad policy and we should not mourn its death

[Ryan Williams 🇨🇦 | The Competition Guy @Ryan_r_Williams]

This

[cbcwatcher @cbcwatcher]

Lots here. It's a wake-up call. Well worth a listen

Barry Appleton, professor specializing in international negotiations & trade, discussed the prolonged meeting between Canadian and U.S. officials. The talks, expected to last about 30 minutes, stretched into a third hour. Appleton viewed this positively:
“Well, of course it’s good news because at the end of the day, the goal here is to get some certainty, is to try to get some type of agreement. Basically, Canada has paid. We don’t know what they paid, but they paid for a three day sort of delay on these massive tariffs. So you want to get your money’s worth. If we paid for three days, I want to get some value for it. Having three hours of meeting rather than 45 minutes of meeting has got to be a good thing rather than a bad thing.”

He framed the situation as an “extractive exercise” by the US, noting Canada previously surrendered the digital services tax (DST) with nothing in return. Key missing protections he highlighted were a “standstill” (no new tariffs) and a “snapback” (automatic penalty if other side breaks terms). Canada lacks both, unlike Mexico

Appleton criticized the Canadian government’s secrecy—contrasting it with Mexico’s transparent daily agendas and official readouts—saying this leaves Canadians anxious and swinging between optimism and pessimism:
“Right now, Canadians don’t know. So we’re worried, we’re anxious. You see this everywhere. And we swing. We swing either too optimistic or too pessimistic because we have imperfect information. That was a choice by the Canadian government. I think it’s a poor choice.”

Appleton argued greater transparency and clear signaling improve outcomes, not secrecy. Softwood lumber (a 44-year dispute) appeared sidelined, raising concerns for provinces like British Columbia. He noted premiers control key concessions (e.g., ending the U.S. booze ban) and lack a proper federal-provincial trade council structure, creating internal Canadian problems:
“Our problem is structure. So much of this is our own problems. It’s sort of like in FIFA, in the World cup, if we’re scoring on our own net…”

On the broader picture and CUSMA, Appleton stated:
“So first of all, CUSMA as we know it, according to Premier Mo today is dead. Okay, so CUSMA is there. It’s a foundational agreement, could be terminated on six months notice. Donald Trump doesn’t have to give us a reason. Obviously we want the CUSMA to continue.”

He described the current talks as temporary “surge pricing” or “paying for parking” to delay big tariffs, likely leading to a reciprocal trade deal (an “ART”) rather than restoring free access. Canadians should prepare for the end of free market access to the U.S., with baseline tariffs possibly in the 10–15% range (similar to UK/EU/Japan deals) on everything, plus sectoral issues (steel, aluminum, autos, lumber).

Digital/AI alignment and other concessions appear already underway without public consultation. Finally, he urged focus on Canadian innovation and productivity, better federal-provincial coordination, and greater public transparency @bappleton

[Mario Zelaya @mario4thenorth]

JUST IN: Liberal Member of Parliament, Anthony Housefather, is actively campaigning & aiding a Democrat for Congress in Florida.

If a Conservative MP did this for a Republican, the CBC would label them a traitor.

The double standard is astonishing.

[The Food Professor @FoodProfessor]

(1/2) AGRI-FOOD IS IN THE DEAL.

The White House says Canada has committed to addressing U.S. concerns over cheese import quotas and American alcohol. Washington is also promising “comprehensive market access” for U.S. goods.

The 50% tariffs were only postponed until August 22.

[Ryan Williams 🇨🇦 | The Competition Guy @Ryan_r_Williams]

Only in Canada can you stand beside a working cell tower and still have no service because your carrier is not on it and your phone cannot use the available competing network.

That is not competition. It is a protected telecom oligopoly..

[Ryan Williams 🇨🇦 | The Competition Guy @Ryan_r_Williams]

July was a good jobs month. But look under the hood.

Since Jan 2025:
Services +1.75%
Goods jobs -1.53%
Manufacturing -2.65%
Agriculture -9.6%

Canada is adding jobs, but losing the jobs that make, grow and build things.

[Ryan Williams 🇨🇦 | The Competition Guy @Ryan_r_Williams]

The graph shows the cumulative change in grocery prices across Canada, the U.S. and U.K. The 18-month statistic is a separate Canadian fact.

But that fact stands: July made it 18 straight months that grocery inflation has outpaced overall CPI. July: 3.1% groceries vs. 3.0% CPI.

I’ll tighten the graphic. The affordability problem doesn’t disappear because inflation slowed from 3.9% to 3.1%.

[Mario Zelaya @mario4thenorth]

‼️ NOT PARODY: Government funded news outlet warns public about influencers that aren’t government funded.

CTV complains influencers have an unfair advantage of “answering to no one” & having an opinion without an editorial department.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Who authorized this?

[David Knight Legg @KnightLegg]

The Snowflake Petition

That embarrassing moment when Liberal snowflakes suddenly realize that their government didn’t prepare for the trade negotiation and we’re almost out of time.

So they embarrass the rest of us by lashing out at the US Ambassador for being mean because he reminds them that elbows up was performative and meaningless.

Cue almost comical levels of fragility and melodrama - and a petition breathlessly covered by the ‘news’.

We have an opportunity to create a huge free trade zone and integrated security and military under an expanded NORAD with our closest ally and most powerful nation on earth. Still can - after we tank further economically under this trade non-strategy.

We spent a year mis-citing Vaclev Havel on our strange international middle power trip while other nations got on with it, dealt with the issues and inked trade deals.

Now we’re out of time and the elbows up crowd feels weak and nervous.

Their melodrama is exhausting. It would have been easier to do the work.

[Toronto Sun @TheTorontoSun]

Justin Trudeau’s ‘special’ summer photo dump includes Katy Perry and the Obamas https://t.co/J1850bUNbQ

[Dan Mazier @DanMazierMP]

BREAKING NEWS

After more than a year of Conservatives investigating foreign drugmaker Grifols at the Health Committee, Grifols is now pausing plasma collection at all of its Canadian donation centres.

The Globe and Mail reports that Health Canada has issued Grifols a formal notice of non-compliance with Canada’s blood regulations.

Conservatives on the Health Committee repeatedly pushed for answers about Grifols, the deaths of plasma donors, neglect from the Health Minister, and the secret agreement with Canadian Blood Services.

At every turn, Liberal members of the Health Committee tried to shut down any investigation and Mark Carney’s Health Minister refused to testify and answer questions.

The Liberals acted like there was nothing to see, claiming Conservatives were ‘misleading’ Canadians.

Now Health Canada has formally found Grifols non-compliant and the company has paused plasma collection across Canada.

Conservatives kept investigating when the Liberals wanted us to stop asking questions.

This is why a strong opposition and parliamentary scrutiny matters.

[Jasmin Laine @JasminLaine]

No it doesn't. It reminds the U.S. That Canada is a country filled with radicalized far-leftist petulant children. Who would rather go full communism and expel everyone they disagree with then be grown ups.

I doubt Trump is even aware of this, but if he is, he would have laughed and moved on with his day.

[Stacey @StaceyMonette27]

Sharan has officially deployed the “petty counter-attack” stage of professional crisis management.

Holy hell.

[Michelle Leahy Ferreri @mferreriptbokaw]

I can say with certainty I have never seen or met this person and I served for 4 years in the House of Commons, 2021-2025.

I messaged three of my former colleagues and they all said the same thing, so much so that they thought the media made a mistake assuming he was just elected.

This guy has been an MP since 2015, and I have never seen him or heard of him.

🤷‍♀️

[Toronto Sun @TheTorontoSun]

From @brianlilley: The truth about Larry Brock leaving as Conservative MP https://t.co/t0mwtGl65u

[Mario Zelaya @mario4thenorth]

I don’t care anymore.

I’m just gonna say it.

This never sat well with me.

The Liberal MP resigned, over an accident on the way to Ottawa (classifies as work),

A YEAR AGO,

that was so bad, that no one knew about it until yesterday.

And the accident was so bad that he could still work for almost a full year before resigning?

And now I’m finding out from @RealAndyLeeShow that he went to China?

But can’t travel to Ottawa?

And he’s LIKELY eligible for 70% of his MP pay for the next 20 years (retirement or until he “recovers”) through the long term disability benefit MPs get via their PSMIP?

The media doesn’t question it.

At all?

And yet, when a Conservative MP resigns, immediately MSM finds a way to attack Pierre?

Meanwhile Carney has had 2 MINISTERS QUIT, and others leave with ZERO backup prospects or job lined up?

HOW IS NO ONE INVESTIGATING OR QUESTIONING THIS?

[Ryan Williams 🇨🇦 | The Competition Guy @Ryan_r_Williams]

The absolutely joke of a source.

[Robert Fife @RobertFife]

Former Trump adviser Scaramucci predicts President will ‘TACO’ on latest tariff threat against Canada https://t.co/dt1iW2Tsjq

[Ryan Williams 🇨🇦 | The Competition Guy @Ryan_r_Williams]

@KirkLubimov Dig deeper.