The Competition Tribunal just shut down Google’s attempt to use a constitutional challenge to block a major antitrust case here in Canada.
The ruling, handed down on March 4, 2026, basically says Google’s claim that its rights were violated doesn’t hold water. Jeanne Pratt, the Acting Commissioner of Competition, said the decision is a big win because it confirms the Tribunal has the power to slap companies with big fines to keep them in line.
This whole thing started back in late 2024 when the Competition Bureau sued Google for allegedly rigging the digital ad market. After a long investigation, the Bureau found that Google was using its massive ad tech dominance to essentially bully the competition. They argue this has led to higher costs for businesses trying to run ads and smaller payouts for the publishers who host them.
Google tried to derail the lawsuit in February 2025 by filing this constitutional challenge, but the Bureau fought back and got it tossed. Now that this side battle is over, the case gets back to the real issue: whether Google is actually using its size to stifle innovation and entrench its own power at the expense of everyone else in the Canadian tech space.
The final call on whether Google broke the law and how much they’ll have to pay is now back in the hands of the Competition Tribunal. For now, the feds are sticking to their guns, insisting that Google’s conduct has made it nearly impossible for smaller rivals to compete in a fair market.
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