Markets Wired

The heads of the antitrust agencies of the United States, Canada, and Mexico met today in Ottawa to hold an annual meeting on antitrust enforcement and policy priorities.

The meeting included Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joseph J. Simons, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Canadian Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell, and President Alejandra Palacios of the Mexican Federal Economic Competition Commission.

The discussions covered a range of topics including enforcement and collaboration involving digital markets, updates on agency developments, international cooperation, and challenges to antitrust enforcement faced by each agency.

“As the economies of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico become increasingly interconnected, it is vital that we cooperate closely with our Canadian and Mexican counterparts on emerging digital economy competition matters and other issues of mutual concern,” said FTC Chairman Simons. “As today’s meeting demonstrates, our close cooperation can serve as a model for the world.”

“International collaboration is a vital part of the work of the Antitrust Division and it is especially important for us to maintain close relationships with our enforcement partners next door,” said Assistant Attorney General Delrahim. “Our shared tradition of cross-border collaboration helps ensure a competitive marketplace for consumers throughout North America.”

The meetings build on the foundations laid by the 1995 antitrust and consumer protection cooperation agreement between the United States and Canada, the 2000 antitrust agreement between the United States and Mexico, and the 2001 antitrust agreement between Canada and Mexico. The agreements commit the agencies to cooperate and coordinate with each other to make their antitrust policies and enforcement as consistent and effective as possible.

The Federal Trade Commission works with counterpart agencies to promote sound antitrust, consumer protection, and data privacy enforcement and policy. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases and the FTC International Monthly for the latest FTC news and resources.