A Platform Economy Strategy for Canada: Supporting place-based governance for a more resilient and inclusive post-COVID Future of Work

Advances in big data, algorithms and cloud computing over the past decade have contributed to the emergence and widespread use of digital platforms in Canada. Whether it be through Uber, Airbnb, Amazon, Etsy or Shopify, a growing number of Canadian workers and businesses are interacting in these platform-based and controlled markets. This phenomenon, known as the emergence of the Platform Economy, has significant implications for the Future of Work in Canada. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this trend as more Canadians than ever before turn towards digital platforms to support their livelihoods.

Given this new reality, we believe there are three imperatives to why the federal government should adopt a Platform Economy Strategy for Canada.

First: The Platform Economy in Canada is growing and has significantly accelerated with COVID-19.

Second: Digital platforms have disrupted Canadian workers and businesses, most notably in urban centres, but there are signs that rural regions and smaller municipalities, ill-prepared to address the Platform Economy’s complexities, are next.

Third: Federal, provincial and municipal actions to date on the Platform Economy have been piecemeal, with no co-ordinated or coherent efforts to effectively address the unique challenges and opportunities of digital platforms’ use by Canadian workers and businesses.

Read the Task Force’s presentation from March 12, 2021.

We identified three major gaps in Canada’s governance regarding digital platforms that must be addressed: it is reactive, it is becoming privatized, and it is resulting in asymmetry of power that favour platforms rather than Canadian businesses and workers. Thus, our proposal for a more coherent and co-ordinated Platform Economy Strategy in Canada consists of three recommendations:

Recommendation 1: Establish a National Centre for the Platform Economy.

Recommendation 2: Enhance the Competition Bureau’s oversight of the Platform Economy.

Recommendation 3: Initiate federally led regional assessments of digital platform activities.

Want to know more? Contact the authors.

Share how the Platform Economy has impacted you and what kind of action you’d like to see

About the Authors

Action Canada 2020/21 Task Force 2

Gabrielle Bouchard is an engineer, educator, advocate for youth social mobility and the creator of the YouTube series “Gabby on Government”, based in Toronto, ON.
Fadi Haddad is an engineer, project manager and environmental professional who serves as Senior Policy and Programs Analyst at Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, based in Montreal, QC.
Dakota Norris (B.Comm) is a Programs Manager at Youth Climate Lab and a member of the Gwich’in First Nation, based in Saskatoon, SK.
Helen Tewolde is Director of Policy and Programs at The Law Foundation of Ontario and LLM Candidate (Constitutional) at Osgoode Hall Law School based in Toronto, ON.