Non-profit advocacy organization OpenMedia has called on every federal political party leader to join the New Democratic Party (NDP) in explicitly opposing Rogers’ plan to acquire Shaw, Canada’s fourth-largest telecommunications provider.
“Canada can’t afford to make our wireless affordability problem even worse — and that’s exactly what approving the Rogers-Shaw deal in any form will do,” says OpenMedia Campaigns Director Matt Hatfield, in a statement.
“In Canada, we already pay some of the highest prices in the world for wireless services. Any party that wants to be taken seriously by Canadians on lowering our eye-watering cell phone bills needs to start by explicitly promising to block Rogers from buying Shaw,” added Hatfield.
On Friday, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh became the first federal party leader to clearly state his party would stop Rogers from further consolidating Canada’s telecom market by purchasing Shaw.
While Conservative leader Erin O’Toole has previously stated his party has “serious concerns” about the deal and will reject mergers that substantially reduce competition, he has not explicitly promised to reject the deal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party’s platform does not address wireless competition or lower pricing.
Earlier this year, OpenMedia and other advocacy groups delivered over 61,000 signatures to the federal government calling on policymakers to block the Rogers-Shaw deal.
