Let's just say that the laws are poorly suited to SMEs because Canada's Competition Act places a lot of emphasis on defence. It is very easy for defending companies to be successful.
There has been a lot of discussion of the dependency of SMEs on platforms. However, at this time, Canadian law lacks teeth. It does not really make it possible to do anything. This is an aspect that must be considered in the reform of the Competition Act. Again, it is in our interest to draw inspiration from what is being done in Europe and the United States.
In passing, I would like to apologize to Mr. Généreux. I did not answer his question correctly. Bill C‑18 is indeed a good bill in general.
To come back to your question about SMEs, I would say that there needs to be the courage to do things but in a different way. In its current form, the Competition Act is based on the fact that Parliament always tries to resolve specific problems. Other countries have an approach that gives greater flexibility to the competition authorities.
Competition authorities deal with the matter 24 hours per day. They are experts. If we want the interests of small businesses to be considered, the appropriate authorities simply need to be told that it is important and they will consider it. That is how things work elsewhere in the world.
That is what I would like to see in a new version of the Competition Act. I would like the Competition Bureau to have free rein and be able to handle problems. They would simply need to be told what the problems are, without having to rely on provisions of the act to resolve them.