Surprise Exit: Ottawa’s Competition Watchdog Chief Steps Down Early

Canada was set to gain a new Commissioner of Competition in February of next year, but now that looks to be happening sooner rather than later.

Matthew Boswell, the current chief, says he will step down from his role on December 17, 2025, a few months before his term was originally set to end. He said he is leaving early for personal reasons.

“With my term as Commissioner of Competition set to end in February 2026, I have decided, for personal reasons, that I will leave the role a little earlier,” said Boswell, in a statement on Tuesday.

“It has been a tremendous privilege to have worked with the incredible group of people at the Competition Bureau since I first joined the organization in 2011. Since I became Commissioner in 2018, it has been the greatest honour of my career to lead such a remarkable team as they worked so diligently on behalf of all Canadians to protect and promote competition,” he said.

“I’m very proud of the Bureau team’s incredible accomplishments as they delivered on each of these goals,” he concluded. In 2023, his term was extended for two more years.

During his time as commissioner, the Bureau focused on enforcement, pushing for stronger competition policies, and adapting to the fast-changing digital economy. Boswell investigated Google’s advertising practices, while also tried to block the $20 billion Rogers-Shaw merger, which failed. The Bureau also went after Rogers over its Infinite wireless plans and the online booking fees implemented by Cineplex, to name a few.

Ottawa says Jeanne Pratt, the Bureau’s Senior Deputy Commissioner responsible for mergers and monopolistic practices, will take over as acting commissioner starting December 18. She will remain in the role until a replacement is found.