- 16 minutes ago
Marketplace S53E14 Episode 14 Engsub
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TVTranscript
00:08Well, it's been a great run, Chris.
00:10I can't believe it's over.
00:13Look at these frills.
00:15Beakers from all the lab testing.
00:21Ah, so much fan mail.
00:24A lot of our stories come from these letters.
00:31This one's from our counterfeit story.
00:35There when you need us since 1972.
00:39Been a long and fun ride.
01:03Elbows up, elbows up.
01:05Hello, everybody.
01:07Welcome.
01:08Hey, how are you?
01:10Made in Canada host here.
01:12Made in Canada host.
01:16What's up, what's up, what's up?
01:17Hello.
01:18Hi.
01:19All right, front row.
01:20Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello.
01:22Hello, hello.
01:23Everyone for you.
01:24Oh.
01:27Asha, that was so bittersweet going through all those memories.
01:31Yeah.
01:32Did we fool anybody?
01:33Do you believe we're out of business?
01:35Yes?
01:35No?
01:36No.
01:37No one's buying it, right?
01:38We are closing up shop, but just for the season,
01:42and for our big finale, we thought,
01:44what would it be like if we didn't come back?
01:47After more than 50 years.
01:49Oh, no.
01:51We have been investigating and exposing, testing and debunking.
01:56Who would do our job then?
01:58We decided that it would have to be all of you.
02:00And so tonight, we have designed a show all about testing,
02:03how ready you all are to be a consumer watchdog,
02:07and we're calling it,
02:08What's Wrong With Your Rights?
02:17Now, experience tells us that there's plenty wrong
02:20when it comes to consumer protection in this country.
02:23Not enough resources, not enough enforcement, competition,
02:26but by the end of tonight,
02:29we will all be more empowered as consumers.
02:32Yeah, so of course, the big question is,
02:34who wants to play?
02:35How about you?
02:36How about you?
02:37You think you'd be a good investigative journalist?
02:40Like any good test, we need a baseline here.
02:44So you're all good consumers, yeah?
02:47But are you smart consumers?
02:49That is what we want to find out.
02:51We've got some trivia that is coming your way
02:54that's going to force a few lucky contestants up here on stage
02:58to make some quick decisions under pressure in order to win.
03:02Who is ready for a game show?
03:09First up, Gary Janis. Get on up here.
03:13Next person up, Drew Jeffries.
03:17Finally, Jennifer Almeida. Come claim your spot.
03:23Okay, so this is how the game works.
03:26There are two rounds that'll last five minutes.
03:29And each round is a series of questions
03:31that'll test your consumer knowledge.
03:34The first one to buzz in and answer correctly gets 100 points.
03:39Whoever has the most points at the end
03:41will be crowned consumer champion.
03:48Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
03:50Before we go any further, I actually would like to interject
03:54with a little terms and conditions.
03:56So if our three contestants here can just take a look at...
04:01Take a read through those terms and conditions, friends.
04:07To accept and play our game, hit those buzzers.
04:12And Asha, Quizmaster, they're all yours.
04:15Okay.
04:16First up, some true or false questions.
04:18Remember to buzz in as soon as you know the answer.
04:21Are you set?
04:22Here we go.
04:24True or false?
04:25Businesses can refuse to accept cash as payment.
04:31Gary.
04:31True.
04:33That is true.
04:34They don't have to take your cash.
04:35Just like some places don't accept debit or credit,
04:39that is 100 points for you on the board.
04:42True or false?
04:43The Canada Revenue Agency now lets you pay your income taxes
04:46using cryptocurrency.
04:48False?
04:49You seem unsure.
04:51I hope it's false.
04:53The answer is false.
04:54The CRA only accepts Canadian dollars
04:57and you can pay using debit, credit and e-transfers,
05:01but not gift cards.
05:02If you deposit a cheque with a bank teller,
05:05the bank has to give you immediate access
05:07to the first $100 you deposit.
05:10True or false?
05:12True.
05:14You are correct.
05:15That is true.
05:17As long as your account has been open for 90 days.
05:21100 on the board for you, Jennifer.
05:24You're buying a shirt and you see it has two different
05:26price tags.
05:27One for $20 and one for $25.
05:30True or false?
05:32The retailer can charge you the more expensive price.
05:35Jennifer.
05:36False.
05:37They have to give you the lower price.
05:39The answer is false.
05:40Section 54 of the Competition Act calls that double ticketing
05:45and it is illegal.
05:47A question about returns now.
05:49You've bought a new cell phone.
05:51True or false?
05:53You can return it within 15 days with no penalties
05:56if you're unhappy with your service.
05:59Gary.
06:00True.
06:01It is true.
06:02You can return it if you haven't used up more than half
06:05of your monthly data.
06:07Okay.
06:08A maple leaf on a food package means the product is Canadian.
06:13True or false?
06:14True.
06:15False.
06:16That is false.
06:17False.
06:17There is no official logo for Canadian food products and a
06:21maple leaf does not guarantee that a product is Canadian.
06:25Sticking with food labels, you're hungry but you want
06:27something that's certified halal.
06:30True or false?
06:31The federal government regulates halal labels to keep
06:34standards consistent.
06:35Jennifer.
06:36False.
06:37That is false.
06:38It is not federally regulated and there are no agreed
06:41upon standards forcing consumers to figure out what's
06:44what.
06:45You have eaten at a restaurant.
06:47You tip your server.
06:48The law across Canada says that money must go to the server.
06:53Is that true or false?
06:54True.
06:55Gary.
06:56It's false.
06:57Some provinces have no rules which means employers can
07:00decide who gets the money and can even keep it for
07:03themselves.
07:04Oh, I didn't know that.
07:06Like that?
07:07Oh, no.
07:08I'm not even going to say anything on that one.
07:10You said it all.
07:10Airlines must seat a child near their parents at no extra
07:14charge if the child is under 14.
07:17Is that true or false?
07:19True, I hope.
07:20It is true as long as the child is under 14 years old.
07:27Next question.
07:28When you click unsubscribe on an email, the company must process
07:32that request within 10 days.
07:36Jennifer.
07:37True.
07:38That one's true.
07:39They have as long as 10 business days, but isn't it just
07:43usually a click of a mouse, you think?
07:45Okay, that ends our round one.
07:48Let's take a look real quick at the board here.
07:50Gary, 200 points for you.
07:53Drew, 300.
07:54And Jennifer at 400 points in the lead right now.
08:01How are you feeling?
08:03Excited.
08:04Yeah.
08:04And how are you two feeling?
08:06You got to catch up.
08:06We got to catch up.
08:08Okay.
08:08Well, are you ready for round two?
08:10Yes.
08:11Sure.
08:11Still true or false questions here, but we are using clips
08:14from past Marketplace episodes to help frame our answers around
08:19these next few questions.
08:21Let's get started.
08:23This season, we investigated home renos gone wrong.
08:27And we met a man who spent $66,000 on a renovation that never
08:32happened.
08:33When he called Consumer Protection Ontario, they told him his
08:37complaints would be investigated.
08:38True or false?
08:40Gary.
08:42True.
08:43Okay.
08:43Well, we're going to take a look for the answer.
08:45Watch this video.
08:46I have taken your information.
08:48I will put it in a case, but it goes nowhere.
08:56I remember that one.
08:57The answer is false.
09:00Whoa.
09:02Okay.
09:02Of course, as you know, we always go undercover in a lot of our
09:06stories.
09:06We use hidden cameras in our reporting, like in this story we're
09:10going to watch right now about bank fees.
09:13We go undercover to hear what's getting pushed.
09:16Our tester goes in to deposit $100.
09:19But then...
09:20You have a credit card limit increase for $8,000.
09:26As you just saw there, right, they were ready to raise our
09:29tester's credit limit by $8,000, just like that.
09:33True or false?
09:34They can decrease your limit, just like that.
09:38Jennifer.
09:39True.
09:40That is true.
09:41Banks can decrease your credit limit without asking you first.
09:45Now you know.
09:47Mm-hmm.
09:48Round two of trivia continues with questions about the cost of
09:51fraud.
09:52True.
09:53The answer is true.
09:54It was $638 million to be precise.
09:59The amount of salt we should eat.
10:01The daily max, 2,300 milligrams.
10:05And the penalties for fake reviews.
10:07The rules say you cannot intentionally mislead.
10:10In the end, true or false?
10:14We had a tie.
10:15That is the end of round two.
10:18Okay, so you can see here, we have a tie.
10:21$500 for Drew, $500 for Jennifer.
10:23So we have a tiebreaker question for you.
10:26All right?
10:27Ready?
10:27One of our stories found that on average, NHL and NBA viewers see
10:32almost one betting ad every minute.
10:36True or false?
10:40True.
10:41Willing to bet on this one?
10:44Let's play the video.
10:48During seven sports broadcasts, researchers find 3,537 gambling messages.
10:57That breaks down to nearly three a minute.
11:02The answer is false.
11:05It is around three ads a minute, Jennifer.
11:09But good try.
11:10And that means, Drew, you are our consumer champion!
11:16Incredible.
11:18That was a real topsy-turvy result.
11:21How are you feeling?
11:22I'm feeling so good.
11:24Yeah.
11:25Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
11:27Don't feel too good just yet, Drew.
11:30Remember those terms and conditions that I showed you all earlier?
11:35Right.
11:36Well, my friend Drew, I would like you to take a look up there
11:40and read one specific clause that we put in there for our winner.
11:44Marketplace reserves the right at our sole discretion to modify or replace these terms at any time.
11:51What constitutes a material change will be determined at our sole discretion.
11:55Continued use of the service constitutes acceptance of those changes.
12:00That's right.
12:02And you know what?
12:03I've decided you haven't won yet.
12:05How about we add a bonus round?
12:07Huh?
12:09Great.
12:10Okay.
12:10So the audience and I would like a bonus round, Asha.
12:13We would like a much harder question.
12:15And we're going to make it a crummier prize too.
12:20Take it away, Asha.
12:22And we're going to mix it up because, you know, we can.
12:25So this time it's a multiple choice question.
12:28Okay.
12:29You ready?
12:29Sure.
12:30Okay.
12:31You sound eager.
12:32Good.
12:32Bonus round coming up.
12:33Here it is.
12:34The first episode of Marketplace aired way back October 5th, 1972.
12:41Which topic did we cover that is still an issue for consumers today, Drew?
12:46Is it A, phone company pricing?
12:49You can see it up there.
12:51B, escalating food prices.
12:53C, testing mechanic repairs.
12:56Or D, food safety.
12:59You have 10 seconds to buzz in.
13:02And you can actually use a lifeline.
13:04Ask the crowd if you want.
13:05Yeah, because we made it trickier.
13:06Audience, if you know the answer to this or have a guess, shout it out.
13:17I'm hearing a lot of D.
13:18Dun, dun, dun.
13:19Time's up.
13:20You got to buzz in.
13:21Oh.
13:21Hit that buzzer.
13:22I mean, I think I'm going to go with food safety.
13:26Food safety.
13:27D.
13:28Yeah.
13:28Final answer?
13:30I guess so.
13:32No.
13:32No?
13:33No.
13:33The answer is B, escalating food prices.
13:37Okay.
13:38Well, you all get Marketplace prize packs.
13:40Thanks so much for participating.
13:46Who says that we can't laugh while we learn?
13:49Not me.
13:50Of course, the laughing and the learning are two things I love.
13:53And we are going to continue both after the break when we separate fact from fiction.
13:59And that's no lie.
14:00We're back next.
14:17Welcome back, everybody.
14:19Hey, I have a question for you.
14:22Quick show of hands.
14:23Who thinks that they are good at telling real from BS?
14:29Okay.
14:30Pretty confident.
14:30Who thinks that they are good at telling the difference between real and AI?
14:36Okay.
14:37Less confident on that one for sure.
14:40Well, AI, of course, stands for artificial intelligence.
14:44Though some may say it's anti-intelligence.
14:47Others may say, ain't interested.
14:51The genie is out of the bottle when it comes to AI.
14:54That is the focus of our next test.
14:56Let's have a look.
14:59Artificial intelligence is ushering in a whole new era in mass communication.
15:03And with it comes danger and deceit.
15:06News organizations, including CBC, now have teams dedicated to figuring out what's real
15:12and what's AI.
15:13Our credibility depends on it.
15:16Just apply it once a day.
15:17Take this video that surfaced online of famed environmentalist and broadcaster David Suzuki.
15:23I've developed a new cream formula.
15:26Listening to it, his voice sounds nothing like other online videos.
15:31My mom and dad are born in Canada.
15:33Take it a step further with a reverse image search, even on video.
15:37You can pause it, snip it, and upload the image to Google and discover the original video is about climate
15:43change, not pain cream.
15:45A straight up Google search reveals a lot too.
15:48In this case, you'll find Suzuki's own foundation warned about the scam.
15:57Well, now it is your turn.
15:59So we're about to see if you can spot the AI.
16:04We are going to call three pairs of you up on stage.
16:07And because you're kind of doing the work that we already do, you will become, if you win this, honorary
16:12Marketplace staffers.
16:14Report to us on Monday.
16:18When you hear your names called, please come on down.
16:21Team one, Phillip and Lynn Duncan, your first on our list.
16:26And next up, Amna Merza and Roseanne Gary.
16:31Where are you guys at?
16:32Come on down.
16:34And finally, Danielle Boudreau and Dami Alibi, step into the spotlights.
16:39You excited?
16:43Helping us with this challenge is our colleague from CBC's Visual Investigations Unit.
16:48Please welcome, Evan Angelofsky.
16:54Evan will be checking in on the teams to see how they're doing and he is the judge.
16:58And so how do you think this will go?
17:00Well, giving them like three minutes.
17:02And that's pretty tight.
17:04This is like a breaking news situation.
17:06It should be fun.
17:08All right.
17:09So to start each round, we are going to watch a video all together.
17:13And they will determine if it is real or AI.
17:18And then Asha will ask you for two pieces of evidence.
17:23Our first video clip features CBC's chief correspondent, Adrian Arsenault, at the Winter Olympics in Milan.
17:30There are like six places scattered throughout the Molano-Cortina area where athletes are staying.
17:36Here in Italy, all the mistakes made in France have been taken into account.
17:40Specifically, the Ukrainian team's accommodation has been placed as far away as possible from others participating in the Olympics.
17:46And it was done on purpose.
17:48So the first, is it real or AI?
17:51The clock starts now.
17:56It looks real because of the way her face was going.
18:00I mean, I don't see anything yet that would like tip me off personally.
18:04Let's see if we, if we screenshot.
18:07Because the background doesn't look like an Olympic.
18:09And then just maybe widen that up a bit.
18:12That just shows the hat that she's wearing.
18:14Other people wear the same hats.
18:15Interesting.
18:16Good clue.
18:16Good clue.
18:17Interesting.
18:18There it is.
18:19I'm doing the same thing as you.
18:21Are you ready?
18:22Almost.
18:23Ten.
18:24Nine.
18:24Eight.
18:26Seven.
18:26Six.
18:27Five.
18:28Four.
18:29Three.
18:30Two.
18:31One.
18:32Hands up off the laptop.
18:34No more talking.
18:37On the count of three, real or AI.
18:40One.
18:40Two.
18:41Three.
18:41Signs up.
18:44Oh.
18:46Even, what's the big reveal here?
18:48Yeah.
18:48This is a fake video.
18:49I'm sorry, team two.
18:51Oh.
18:53I told you.
18:54Why was it?
18:55What do you say?
18:58Let's get some supporting evidence here.
19:00Team one.
19:01The first video that we got from reverse image search,
19:04looks like it's some sort of surreal attacks.
19:07Do we have second evidence or?
19:08It just looks fake.
19:14How's that answer?
19:15So the source analysis, it's a brilliant thing.
19:17Yeah.
19:17And it gives them like two points.
19:19Team two gets it wrong.
19:21So we move on to team three.
19:23So our first piece of supporting evidence is an article from the CVC saying that it's fake.
19:29That's fair.
19:30That's fair.
19:32Okay.
19:33And anything else?
19:34We did a reverse image search.
19:35Yeah.
19:35It was a reverse image search.
19:37And it's from LinkedIn.
19:38It's from CVC.
19:39Even, what's your take?
19:40Well, maybe we can give them top scores.
19:46So our second video clip is featuring Prime Minister Mark Carney.
19:51Take a look at this.
19:52We are launching a new artificial intelligence based platform called CryptoTact.
19:57This platform is specifically designed to give every Canadian access to the best technologies and expertise.
20:04So clock is starting now.
20:09We found something.
20:10Yep.
20:11Oh, brilliant.
20:12Yeah, I love it.
20:13Oh, we're this kind of check out the source.
20:15Okay.
20:16Yeah.
20:17Make sure also to search for company names.
20:20Does CBC have NN live usually?
20:22It does.
20:25And there you go.
20:26Are you confident about that?
20:28I am.
20:29I don't think she is.
20:29You're looking at AI for that.
20:34What led you to this answer?
20:35Ivan helped a lot.
20:36And then my friend here looked up.
20:38Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
20:44That is three minutes.
20:45Hands up, everyone.
20:47Stop talking.
20:51Okay.
20:52One, two, three.
20:57Oh.
20:59Even.
21:00Yeah, everybody's spot on.
21:01Yeah, this is AI.
21:05So team one, can you tell us what's your supporting evidence to back up your answer?
21:10Okay, so one bit of evidence is when you Google search crypto attacked Mark Carney,
21:15one of the first results you get is warning people about a scam.
21:18And then if you reverse image search and you find what looks to be the same conference,
21:24it looks to be about something else, not about crypto.
21:27Yeah, yeah, yeah, brilliant.
21:29How many points?
21:29Yeah, top scores.
21:30Top scores for team one.
21:32You get a full five.
21:34Team two.
21:35We Googled, searched the title, and right away it said that it's fraudulent.
21:40And then we looked at his mouth and when he was talking and it didn't match up.
21:44Full marks.
21:44Full marks, yeah.
21:45Full marks.
21:46Yes.
21:47You get on the board.
21:51Team three.
21:52Yeah, so the first thing we did was the reverse image search again.
21:55And we saw like none of the headlines were about the crypto tapped or whatever.
22:01And then we also got a nice tip from Even to look at the company.
22:05There was no official website from the government about crypto tech.
22:09Even.
22:09Yeah, top scores.
22:10Top scores.
22:11All right.
22:15This is our third and final video and it's of Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
22:21Let's have a watch.
22:23So I was down at Tim Hortons just a little while ago, a few minutes ago,
22:27and I'm meeting people in Tim Hortons.
22:29Nothing brings a community closer together than a Tim Hortons, I'll tell you that.
22:32Everyone was in there.
22:36Clock is starting now.
22:42Where's he standing?
22:44He's standing in front of Sunbridge, so let's image search this.
22:47I mean, this first video looks like it might be where it's from.
22:50This clip is from CPAC, so it's from a recognized organization.
22:54So how would you check what he said?
22:55So we're checking for the transcript from the clip.
22:58Yeah, it's in there.
23:00Tim Hortons, yeah.
23:01We got it.
23:01I think it's weird too.
23:03Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
23:12Fingers up.
23:13We have to decide.
23:15No more talking.
23:16You can't be listening anymore.
23:17We are done.
23:19Now.
23:20One, two, three, go.
23:24Oh.
23:27Even.
23:27Yeah, this is a real video.
23:29Oh.
23:32Team one, give us your evidence, please.
23:34We believe we found the video where it's from.
23:36And if you go down to the transcript part of the video and you command F, you can find the
23:41actual part where he says to Morton's.
23:44The second part was if CPAC.
23:47CPAC stands for the cable public affairs channel.
23:50And all of the teams use its coverage as evidence.
23:54Okay, five on board.
23:55Full mark.
23:59Team two.
24:00We were watching the YouTube video.
24:02Now we were trying to find the button for the transcripts when we ran out of time.
24:05The way he was talking, it felt like Doug Ford's personality.
24:09Okay.
24:10We can give them two points for that.
24:14Finally, team three.
24:15We went with our trustee reverse image search to see that it was a real event that happened.
24:21And then we found the CPAC video as well from the event.
24:26Yeah, I'll give them four points.
24:31Team three, you are our winner with 15 points.
24:35And you will all get prize packs including a six month premium CBC Gem subscription.
24:45What should we know as we're consuming all of this content?
24:49Just in the last couple of months, we've seen like several models appearing that, you know, makes me like really
24:56scared about what's going to happen.
24:59Being a consumer has never been harder.
25:01That's why we're here asking, want to say it with us?
25:05What's wrong with your rights?
25:08Well, get ready to hear some blunt answers to that question.
25:12After the break, we have some debaters who are going to be joining us.
25:15They're ready to rock right after this.
25:42We've been asking, what's wrong with your rights?
25:46And you're about to get an ear off.
25:47And you're about to get an ear off.
25:47Welcome to the Marketplace Debate Club.
25:53We've got two teams just itching to get out here and duke it out over consumer rights.
25:59So here is what they will be debating.
26:01That consumer protection in Canada is weak, fragmented, and out of date.
26:07And guess who gets to be the judges?
26:14All of you.
26:16So listen up and put your hands together for our debaters.
26:22Arguing for the motion that consumer protection is weak, we've got Team Red.
26:27Jeff White is a lawyer and a former head of the Public Interest Advocacy Center.
26:32And joining Jeff is Caitlin Ma, a competitive debater, some fans over there,
26:37from the Hart House Debating Club at the University of Toronto.
26:41Arguing against the motion is Team Black.
26:44Marcus Giesler is a consumer researcher and professor at York University's Schulich School of Business.
26:50We're pairing him with competitive debater Kozar Hamadi, also from what I can only imagine, Asha,
26:59is a really rock-solid debate club over there at Hart House.
27:03Our contestants have been briefed on all of the rules.
27:06I am going to play timekeeper in all of this.
27:09And I am your friendly neighborhood moderator.
27:12Shall we begin?
27:13Listen, despite the so many ways Canadians can be proud,
27:17when it comes to the consumer experience, we're getting hosed.
27:21Misleading, aggressive and deceptive marketing practices,
27:24overselling, bill shock, constant price increases, shrinkflation,
27:28terrible customer service, lack of competitive choice,
27:31and the never-ending feeling that you're a powerless, walking wallet
27:34constantly being taken advantage of.
27:37That's the Canadian consumer experience.
27:39The company's main goal is to maximize shareholder profits.
27:43And in a competitive market, that's supposed to work well
27:46with companies competing on quality, customer service, price, features, etc.
27:51But our economy is highly concentrated.
27:54On top of that, the baseline rules to protect consumers are weak.
27:57The institutions overseeing their development are hounded constantly
28:00by lobbyists and lawyers, and the path to recourse is long, confusing, and frustrating.
28:06That was very good. Team Red's opening statement has concluded.
28:11Now it's time for Team Black. You are up.
28:14I don't need to be protected from Rogers or Canada.
28:17I need a better airline.
28:20I need a better cell phone contract.
28:23I want to be able to give small Canadian companies a chance.
28:27And I currently can't because there's so much red tape around market entry.
28:32We want more choices.
28:34So both teams are arguing for more competition in Canada, but seem divided over how much protection is needed until
28:42we get there.
28:44Oligopolies directly impact your bills, your wages.
28:47So we pay more for basic services like internet, food and transport than any other G7 country.
28:53And our wages aren't going to catch up.
28:55That is the unavoidable outcome of market consolidation.
28:58If consumer protection laws don't protect consumers from monopolies, we must call it weak and I would call it a
29:05failure.
29:06If agencies and policies can't be agile and move in lockstep to protect Canadians from what's coming in the future,
29:12it is too fragmented.
29:13Let's call it what it is.
29:17So the Canadian market is not as bad as Caitlin describes.
29:22Team Black argues consumer protection is not fragmented and can be found on many levels, federally, provincially and elsewhere.
29:30You're able to go to small claims court and call out the behaviour of these companies.
29:34You have watchdogs like Marketplace who call out these companies on your behalf and hold them to account.
29:38A lot of these regulations exist and they're efficient at making sure that the competition that does exist is proper.
29:44The problem is when you introduce more regulation, you hurt the mechanisms that exist in markets.
29:49You make it so that the top five competitors are the only ones that can absorb the costs of competition,
29:55of the regulations that they would have you believe are actually going to help you.
30:02Okay, so I'm going to ask a question of my colleagues here, but I'll premise it with just a little
30:07bit of data.
30:08Team Red points to growing complaints against airlines and telecom companies that seem to result in little action and much
30:16frustration.
30:17But you would suggest that the audience find that it's not as bad as you seem.
30:22Is that what you're saying, is that we don't know, understand how good we have it here in Canada?
30:26What we are arguing is that we want to redesign the system so that more companies can be in the
30:31mix.
30:32I'm surprised that we focus so much on conduct and so little on structure.
30:36Why don't we allow the competitive dynamics to actually let new players in?
30:40Then I wouldn't have to complain.
30:42But what you're saying to us, forget the consumer protections.
30:45That's like telling the auto manufacturers, forget the seat belts.
30:48Is that really the way you want it to be?
30:49The emphasis on whether these companies are doing right or wrong is the problem.
30:54If we police their behavior more, then we will get more competition.
30:57This is just not the case.
30:58Canada is a huge country.
30:59There are tons of barriers to entry.
31:00We're saying competition is a huge problem.
31:03It's why corporations treat Canadians badly on the daily.
31:07What we're saying is, while you fix that, you have to rein in the big companies that are mistreating us.
31:13You do need massive change, but we take the consumers until it's done.
31:16I need to come back to this really quickly.
31:19I need to come back to this really quickly.
31:22I'm going to let you. Go ahead.
31:23Jeff, it's about time we treat not just the symptoms but the root cause.
31:27The root cause is structure, not behavior.
31:32Things are heated and tense.
31:34They're about to get a little spicier with the rebuttals.
31:38Start over to you, Team Red.
31:39Don't buy this lie from COSAR, where it's small businesses struggling to establish themselves
31:45based on conditions of the monopolized market that means we won't have any competition for consumers.
31:50It is the very legal structure of the system that locks the market in place and locks consumers out of
31:56choice.
31:57Team Black agrees more choice is the issue, not more protection.
32:02So on the federal level and the provincial level have different ways of addressing different types of problems.
32:06This isn't an inefficiency. It is not a fragmentation.
32:09That's the way that I think the Canadian system is set up to adequately address the large country that we
32:14have
32:14that needs different layers of protection.
32:21And finally, your closing arguments to finish it off.
32:25Listen, you can't just treat the cause, you've got to treat the symptoms at the same time.
32:30We have this fragmented regime.
32:32You shouldn't need a law degree, you shouldn't need to hire a lawyer,
32:35and you shouldn't need to rely on class action lawyers to fight for your rights,
32:39or a CBC Marketplace to hold big companies to account.
32:43Because the only time they change their behavior, it seems, is when CBC Marketplace comes a-knocking.
32:51Can't argue with that.
32:52Yeah, the audience liked that one.
32:56Team Black.
32:57This is the greatest country in the world.
33:00Canada is the greatest country in the world.
33:03If there's one country that can fix these issues, it's us.
33:07What we need to do is change structure, and we need to do that together.
33:10An open marketplace, an open Canadian marketplace is as awesome and as powerful as an open Canada is today already.
33:18That is what we believe in.
33:20And now it is time to turn things over to our audience, our judges.
33:25Who do you think was the most convincing?
33:28We're going to ask for you to shout out and cheer for who you think is better.
33:32How about Team Red?
33:41Okay, okay.
33:43Your votes have been counted.
33:46Now, Team Black.
33:50Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait.
33:53Team Red?
33:56Okay, wait.
33:57Team Black.
34:02It's very tight, but I'm going to go ahead and suggest Team Red won.
34:09Asha?
34:10I think so.
34:11I even see the little baby over there clapping, so I think they are the winner.
34:15Baby clap.
34:16So now that we've heard from the debaters, it's time to hear from the decision makers.
34:21We have invited politicians from across the country to come here and speak to us about consumer protections.
34:28So who shows up and what questions do we all have for them?
34:32We'll find out together after the break.
34:54All right, this has been an epic season finale.
35:00Tonight, we have tested your consumer knowledge.
35:03We've challenged your responsibility to know more.
35:06And of course, we got a little feisty in the debate there when we talked about the state of consumer
35:11protection in Canada.
35:13Yeah, and like every Marketplace episode, we have arrived at the part where we demand better.
35:18We are talking about accountability and not a story goes by where you don't see us trying to get some.
35:25So have a look.
35:28For 53 years, we've been protecting your rights, trying to get answers for you.
35:35But more often than not, we hear the same response.
35:39We asked Ontario Premier Doug Ford for a one-on-one interview to talk about this.
35:43He declined.
35:44My name is David.
35:46I'm a journalist with a Canadian television program called Marketplace.
35:50I'm wondering why you scam.
35:52We call, email, and text.
35:54But her office declines.
35:56But we don't give up.
35:59Hi, Minister. How are you? Asher from CBC Marketplace.
36:02Minister Freeland, this is CBC Marketplace.
36:05Minister Michelle, Rosa from Marketplace here.
36:08So if those in power were in this room, what would you ask them? What would they say?
36:20I want you to look at all of these signs here.
36:22They all represent 19 federal and provincial agencies and ministries across this country that we invited.
36:29They declined our request to come and speak in front of all of you tonight to talk about your consumer
36:35rights and protections.
36:36So now we want to know, how do you feel about that?
36:42What do you think of the fact that of all of these, we see placards and not people?
36:47I feel like it's them avoiding the responsibility and not taking accountability to face us as consumers and to answer
36:55the questions that we have.
36:59But there is one politician who actually took us up on our offer.
37:10He is an MP who works closely with Industry Minister Melanie Jolie and she is responsible for the Office of
37:17Consumer Affairs.
37:18Please welcome Kareem Bardisi.
37:28Yeah, I'm here on behalf of the federal government and as someone who, I think like everyone in this room
37:33and everyone watching tonight, has a real interest in consumer protection and in competition.
37:38You know, we're always seeking accountability. It's just so hard to get. What do you make of that?
37:44Sometimes, you know, politicians are chased down hallways with microphones.
37:48And I think as a new government, we are really here to embrace the possibilities.
37:53Of late, we've been making some real improvements, I think.
37:56We've been making the Competition Bureau, giving it more resources and more power.
38:00So for instance, price fixing, if there is price fixing, there's no maximum penalty now for price fixing.
38:07That's one example. But then we know there's also more that we can do.
38:10As we've seen tonight and many times on our show, consumer rights and protections are not the same across Canada.
38:17Why isn't it a standard?
38:19I think it's a good thing that different areas are responsible for different things.
38:22You wouldn't want the federal government to be responsible for how your street is cleaned.
38:26So yeah, we have a lot of agencies and there's lots of logos, I know, behind me.
38:30As the federal government, we're trying to make this a bit easier.
38:32So for instance, Complaint Roadmap Canada, just Google that.
38:35If you have a complaint, you'll see which is the best way to root that complaint.
38:39So what is your message to Canadians who are saying the government needs to do more?
38:44There's kind of two sides of the equation.
38:45It's the competition side and the consumer protection side.
38:48And so what we're doing on the competition side is looking at a bunch of different markets and saying,
38:54we are going to be hawkish. How can we promote competition in that sector?
38:58We switch to viewer questions now. First from Langley, BC.
39:03Diana Van Thiel wants to know when government agencies will get more teeth.
39:10Competition Bureau is an agency that's been around for a long time.
39:13We amended the legislation in 2024 to give it a couple powers.
39:18To give it more powers to decide on mergers between companies.
39:23We gave it the power to be much more punitive when it came to something called drip pricing.
39:28So that's where there's a price that's advertised for something,
39:31but you can't actually get it because there's a hidden fee underneath.
39:34Because Cineplex was advertising ticket prices for movies,
39:38but you could never pay that ticket price. There was always a hidden fee.
39:41And that blatant practice resulted in a Competition Bureau investigation and a big fine.
39:47David Bennett from Rodden, Quebec, wonders about labeling rules.
39:51When will it be easier to spot Canadian goods?
39:55There's a lot of work that we need to do to better understand this.
39:59Look at the label. You know, is it made in Canada from imported and domestic ingredients?
40:04There are some standards that help give you a bit of a guide.
40:07Consumers feel like they shouldn't have to do that kind of work, right?
40:11Yeah, yeah. And I understand that.
40:13So I think there is some more work we can do on that.
40:15It does involve working with the provinces.
40:17It involves working with, you know, small and local producers as well as the big producers.
40:22Final thoughts here. I mean, we're about empowering consumers.
40:25What message do you have for Canadians around that in your position?
40:30Yeah, your government is listening and gauging that we're working really hard across a number of marketplaces to help bring
40:36down prices that help reduce costs for Canadians,
40:38bring more competition, provide more consumer choice.
40:41And we've got a special concern on financial crimes and financial fraud because we think that's a frontier that could
40:47really benefit from more consumer protection.
40:49We are going to be setting up a financial crimes agency and we are working with the banks and the
40:54telcos and other players in this space to get some codes of conduct and to get some real teeth into
41:00their work.
41:01Because technology has become so powerful, we need to do a lot more.
41:04We appreciate you being here and answering all these questions.
41:07Thank you, Ashley.
41:07Thanks so much.
41:11We are not done yet, though.
41:13After the break, a look back and a look ahead at the ways Marketplace has your back.
41:32Welcome back, everyone.
41:34And what a night it's been.
41:36And thanks to all of you for coming out and helping make this happen.
41:39Because you are why we do the work that we do and why we are definitely not going anywhere.
41:46Right, Asha?
41:47No.
41:48Not while there's still so much work to do on our rights.
41:51As we say goodbye, we leave you with a look back at some of our season highlights.
41:57And we look forward to many more seasons to come.
42:03At Marketplace, we take on big brands.
42:07Hello.
42:09They dropped my call.
42:11Making bold promises.
42:13This is a train wreck.
42:14I want my money back.
42:15Put companies to the test in ways no others can.
42:19I don't think I would ever put on this much sunscreen.
42:23That's so distressing.
42:24He's saying that as if this is, like, real.
42:27There's actually anti-competitive behavior going on.
42:30We go the distance.
42:32We are on our way to Bulgaria.
42:34To get the answers you deserve.
42:36There are many people in Canada who are out with thousands of dollars.
42:40And they feel quite betrayed.
42:42Cutting through congestion.
42:43Who's ready for a race?
42:45All right.
42:46Here we go.
42:46And confusion.
42:48This is advertising trying to make it look Canadian when in reality it's not.
42:53It is not a Canadian product.
42:55So you're better informed and protected.
42:58No way!
42:59I think that's mind-blowing.
43:00We reveal the real cost when the system fails.
43:05Consumers don't have the protection that they think they have.
43:07I was stupid to go there.
43:10But they are good.
43:11The amount of children that have died for this, it makes no sense.
43:15Do you think that his death was preventable?
43:18Yes.
43:19Yes.
43:21No matter what, there's one thing you can count on.
43:25Minister Jones, I'm Chris Glover with CBC Marketplace.
43:28We will always be here.
43:30I am still waiting.
43:31Fighting for you.
43:32If there's someone who could fix this as Prime Minister Mark Carney, why is it still happening?
43:38They feel like there's been no real action from government.
43:42They want to see it.
43:44What is your message to them?
43:46To reveal the wrongs.
43:48We gain false information.
43:50I feel a little bit cheated.
43:51And help you protect what's yours.
43:54Woo!
43:55So maybe watch Marketplace and pick up some tips.
43:58This is your Marketplace.
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