Industry committee  Yes. I'll just add that when the CRTC commissioner was here last week, he correctly pointed out that the telecommunications regulator really has no input into a change in ownership or a merger in this case, which strikes me as being pretty strange. We have the Competition Bureau saying they don't have the resources to assess after the fact.

Industry committee  I think we're expecting to hear a decision from the CRTC later today that might impact the competitiveness of the mobile wireless market, one of the most important telecom markets. If the CRTC does opt to adopt the regulatory regime that encourages and allows more competition, then I think we'll be looking forward to its implementation.

Industry committee  I'll just add two points to what Dwayne had to say. They are observations that I've made on the basis of the Competition Bureau's and CRTC's appearances here last week. I was struck by the competition commissioner's telling this committee that they don't enforce mergers after the fact.

Industry committee  When you look at adoption levels in Canada, you see that not only are we significantly behind comparable countries' levels, but you find that the disparity is primarily concentrated amongst the lower-income [Technical difficulty—Editor] While you have almost universal adoption amongst those who are well off, those families earning less than $50,000 or $70,000 a year are really struggling to pay their bills, right?

Industry committee  I'll just add that a lot of it turns on a decision about what sort of economy and society we want to have. Do we want to have large powerful champions that we hand a tremendous amount of power to and then put a lot of trust in, or would we prefer to see a more decentralized competitive environment that is operating according to the sorts of pressures exerted by a marketplace?

Industry committee  Certainly there have been rumours for years regarding this merger, but I would point to SaskTel, which I'm sure Telus is looking at very anxiously. It's an example of a company that has done very well in rolling out rural networks, so I think this would open the door to further consolidation.

Industry committee  Absolutely, and I think the design of those types of policies is crucial. We saw, when the new entrants came in in 2007, again conditions attached that required companies to offer roaming and tower sharing at commercial rates. [Technical difficulty—Editor] spent a decade at the CRTC coming up with rates and terms that the companies would have to abide by in offering those types of things.

Industry committee  Any market share that's going to the smaller companies is essentially the result of the government policy to bring in a fourth carrier in all regions of Canada, which began in about 2007. A number of those companies that entered the market in 2008-09—Mr. Stein mentioned Wind Mobile, which is now Freedom Mobile owned by Shaw—have sort of failed and have been consolidated and what we're left with is Freedom, Videotron, in Quebec and Eastlink in the maritime provinces.

Industry committee  Let's be clear: This merger is simply a play by Rogers to extend its dominance from coast to coast. Now is not the time, during the pandemic, for even more consolidation. This merger will result in higher prices and less innovation, when what we need is greater affordability. Regulators and policy-makers should do what they can to oppose this merger.

Industry committee  Compared to the big three, Shaw offers more affordable wireless plans, more monthly data, no overage fees and other unique innovative features. Its presence has forced Bell, Rogers and Telus to respond by lowering prices and offering new features. This is how competition is supposed to work.