OTTAWA — The Conservative government will look for opportunities to defend Canadian consumers from now on, Industry Minister James Moore told a business audience Wednesday.
Pointing to the Tories’ telecom policy, which — much to the chagrin of Rogers, Bell and Telus — set aside a special block of spectrum for regional and new entrants to encourage more competition, Moore said the federal government was focused on “putting consumers first.”
Moore appeared also to give the Tories credit for a ban on corporate donations in federal elections, which had been instituted by the previous Liberal government.
“In the months ahead, we will continue to move forward on a path that ensures that consumers’ interests are at the core,” he told a gathering of the Canadian Club of Ottawa. “Not only of our telecommunications policy but also other government decisions.”
Moore pointed to past action on consumer product safety and truth in airline pricing.
Speaking to reporters later, the Minister wouldn’t offer specifics but said the government planned to enforce anti-spam legislation and he left the door open on addressing high roaming rates.
“We’ll see, certainly our roaming rates are a source of debate and frustration.”
Glenn Thibeault, the NDP critic for consumer protection, told HuffPost the Tories have never been pro-consumer.
"[At] a moment of political desperation — they are reeling from scandals in the Senate and the Prime Minister's Office — they are really trying to change the channel," Thibeault said.
The Tories killed a 2009 NDP air passengers' bill of rights and voted down a 2009 motion that aimed to protect credit card customers, the NDP MP said.
"I don't think they have any real interest in trying to help consumers."
Moore said the government's contentious wireless spectrum auction would go on as planned this January. A list of all the applicants will be made public Monday.
“The auction rules will not change,” he said.
The big three telecom companies lobbied the government extensively to scrap the auction rules and launched an aggressive public relations campaign this summer after rumours that U.S. wireless giant Verizon was contemplating a move into Canada.
Moore told the crowd that since becoming industry minister in July, the virtue of the government’s decision to ban corporate donations to federal political parties had become “painfully, and very clearly apparent to me.”
“(W)e can now make policy decisions that are in the best interest of all Canadians and are not beholden to the pressures of the political finance,” Moore said, to silence from the room.
It was the Liberals, under Jean Chrétien, who banned corporate and union donations to political parties and leadership candidates. The Tories, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, closed a loophole that allowed corporations to give a total of $1,000 to a party candidate, nomination contestant and riding association.
Moore told reporters that because the federal government doesn’t have to worry about big donations from corporate Canada, he’s not beholden to the big three telecoms or companies in any other industry.
Still, Moore appears to be mending fences with the telecom giants. He’s had dinner with Nadir Mohamed, the president and CEO of Rogers Communications, and has a lunch with Telus’ CEO Darren Entwistle planned in Vancouver.
“In spite of the perception of things, we get along fine,” Moore said. “We have areas of disagreement. They have an obligation to their shareholders but we have an obligation to all Canadians.”
Most Memorable Quotes From The Wireless War
David Fuller(01 of38)
Open Image ModalDarren Entwistle(02 of38)
Open Image ModalRichard Schultz(03 of38)
Open Image ModalTop-Down Communication(04 of38)
Open Image ModalCruickshank(05 of38)
Open Image ModalBen Klass(06 of38)
Open Image ModalTelus(07 of38)
Open Image ModalEntwistle(08 of38)
Open Image ModalJames Moore(09 of38)
Open Image ModalAnthony Lacavera(10 of38)
Open Image ModalThe Top 5- Canada's Favourite Cellphone Companies(11 of38)
Open Image Modal (credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
5. Mobilicity(12 of38)
Open Image Modal (credit:Pete Power/The Globe And Mail)
4. Public Mobile(13 of38)
Open Image Modal (credit:The Canadian Press Images/Stephen C. Host)
3. WIND Mobile(14 of38)
Open Image ModalPictured: Wind Mobile CEO Anthony Lacavera (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese)
2. Virgin Mobile(15 of38)
Open Image Modal1. Koodo Mobile(16 of38)
Open Image ModalThe Bottom 5- Canada's Least Favourite Cellphone Companies(17 of38)
Open Image Modal (credit:GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images)
5. SaskTel(18 of38)
Open Image Modal4. Fido(19 of38)
Open Image Modal3. Telus(20 of38)
Open Image Modal2. Bell(21 of38)
Open Image Modal1. Rogers(22 of38)
Open Image ModalQUESTION(23 of38)
Open Image ModalHow much of the code is new? (credit:Getty Images)
QUESTION(24 of38)
Open Image ModalAre there any restrictions in the code that will prevent the cost of two-year contracts going up as a result of the new rules? (credit:Getty Images)
QUESTION(25 of38)
Open Image ModalHow will the shorter contract length affect handset costs? (credit:Getty Images)
ANSWER(26 of38)
Open Image ModalAnswer from Steve Anderson, executive director of OpenMedia.ca, a wireless consumer advocacy group: It’s unclear. There’s no market reason while the cell phone companies would suddenly raise the cost of cellphone service because people are on shorter contracts. So if they do that it’s really just price gouging. They could try and raise upfront handset costs, but the Canadian companies have higher revenue per user than any other telecom companies in the world and other places where we have two-year contracts, the device cost is not higher than it is in Canada, a great example is the U.S. (Pictured: Steve Anderson of OpenMedia) (credit:OpenMedia)
ANSWER(27 of38)
Open Image ModalAnswer from Lawford: It’s call your bluff time. The CRTC is saying “let’s see if it’s true that really your costs are so high and that really you're subsidizing these devices so much, or is it that you’re locking people in so the contract is longer than the usable life of the device?” If we send people back in the market every two years is that going to make competition pick up the slack. If they all go up in lockstep, [then] the Competition Bureau should be looking into what’s going on. Pictured: John Lawford of PIAC (credit:John Lawford)
QUESTION(28 of38)
Open Image ModalThe new rules allow a fully purchased handset to be unlocked immediately or a subsidized handset to be unlocked in 90 days. What effect will this have? (credit:Getty Images)
QUESTION(29 of38)
Open Image ModalAre providers allowed to charge a fee to unlock a phone? (credit:Getty Images)
QUESTION(30 of38)
Open Image ModalWhat are the effects of the new rules on people who are not on a contract or already have their phones unlocked? (credit:Getty Images)
QUESTION(31 of38)
Open Image ModalDo the caps mean the carriers will cut off your data or roaming after a certain point? (credit:Getty Images)
QUESTION(32 of38)
Open Image ModalWhy did the CRTC decide on two-year contracts, rather than one year, the direction the rest of the world is taking? (credit:Getty Images)
QUESTION(33 of38)
Open Image ModalAre the new rules on three-year contracts retroactive? Can I get out of a three-year contract today? (credit:Getty Images)
QUESTION(34 of38)
Open Image ModalCan a consumer use the new rules as an argument to fight an "outrageous roaming bill" they receive before they are technically protected? (credit:Getty Images)
QUESTION(35 of38)
Open Image ModalIf you decide to get out of a three-year contract after 2 years, do you still have to pay fees like the cost of the handset? (credit:Getty Images)
QUESTION(36 of38)
Open Image ModalSky high billing is the biggest concern in Canada. Why weren't rates per second and per megabyte addressed? (credit:Getty Images)
QUESTION(37 of38)
Open Image ModalWill providers have to show separately the handset cost consumers pay each month? (credit:Getty Images)
QUESTION(38 of38)
Open Image ModalSo is there any incentive before or after the rules come into effect in December to choose a three-year contract? (credit:Getty Images)