Trade Conflicts and Competition Policy in Canada’s Digital Economy

Policy Brief No. 220

'Damola Adediji Jeremy de Beer
January 26, 2026

US President Donald Trump’s stance on trade and competition policy is contradictory. Tariffs, not technology regulations, are truly anti-competitive policy tools. Canada must strategically re-evaluate its digital policies to determine which are negotiable in trade talks with the United States and which must be safeguarded. Protecting Canada’s regulatory infrastructure around digital competition should be a top priority to help reduce digital dependencies and strengthen sovereignty.

About the Authors

'Damola Adediji

'Damola Adediji is a Digital Policy Hub doctoral fellow and a researcher at the Centre for Law, Technology and Society at the University of Ottawa. During his Digital Policy Hub fellowship, his work examines how Canadian digital sovereignty can be safeguarded through competition law amid global trade uncertainties.

Jeremy de Beer

Jeremy de Beer is a CIGI senior fellow, a full professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa and a faculty member at the Centre for Law, Technology and Society. He holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Innovation and Intellectual Property Law, where he leads research on improving global intellectual property frameworks both nationally and internationally.

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