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Canada Orders Amazon to Hand Over Records in Ongoing Antitrust Probe

By  |  July 8, 2025

Canada’s competition authority has obtained a court order compelling Amazon.com Inc. to turn over documents as part of an ongoing antitrust investigation into the company’s business practices in its online marketplace.

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    The order, announced Monday, is tied to a probe launched in 2020 that examines whether Amazon’s Marketplace fair pricing policy is stifling price competition. According to Bloomberg, the Canadian Competition Bureau is assessing whether the policy prevents third-party sellers from offering lower prices on rival e-commerce platforms, a practice that could potentially limit consumer choice and inflate prices across the digital retail sector.

    Per Bloomberg, the court order mandates that Amazon supply records relevant to the investigation, allowing the bureau to further evaluate whether the company’s pricing rules amount to an abuse of its dominant position in the online marketplace.

    Read more: Amazon Takes EU to Court Over ‘Very Large Online Platform’ Status

    The timing of the order aligns with Amazon’s annual Prime Day shopping event, which runs from July 8 through July 11. Consumer research firm EMarketer Inc. projects that U.S. shoppers will spend close to $13 billion during the promotional period, highlighting the scale and influence of Amazon’s retail operations.

    In addition to the pricing policy inquiry, Canadian regulators are pursuing a separate investigation into Amazon’s advertising and promotional activities. The bureau has previously indicated that some of the company’s marketing claims may be “potentially false or misleading,” though specific details have not been disclosed.

    The intensified scrutiny from Canadian authorities follows a global trend of regulators closely examining the practices of tech giants, particularly those involving artificial intelligence, data use, and marketplace dynamics.

    Source: Bloomberg