Matthew Boswell will be ending his term as competition commissioner in advance on December 17.
Boswell was due to step down from the role in February 2026. He attributed the premature conclusion of his run to personal reasons.
He had worked with the Competition Bureau since 2011, commencing as associate deputy commissioner of the criminal matters branch. He went on to become senior deputy commissioner of the branch in September 2012.
Boswell transitioned to serving as the senior deputy commissioner of the cartels and deceptive marketing practices branch in April 2015 and the senior deputy commissioner of the mergers and monopolistic practices branch in July 2017, according to LinkedIn.
He was named interim competition commissioner in May 2018. He was cemented in the role on March 2019.
Previously, he held roles with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General and the Ontario Securities.
“Over the last seven and a half years, our goals have been to protect Canadians through proactive enforcement, to promote competition-enhancing policies at all levels of government in Canada, and to ensure our organization was resourced and ready to respond to the rapidly changing digital economy,” he said in a statement.
Boswell will be succeeded by Jeanne Pratt, senior deputy commissioner for mergers and monopolistic practices branch, who steps in as acting commissioner. Pratt will inherit Boswell’s authority and duties as commissioner until further notice from the federal government.
Boswell praised Pratt’s appointment, citing her experience as a competition practitioner.
“I know that, under Jeanne’s leadership as acting commissioner, the Bureau will continue to work tirelessly to deliver the vital benefits of competitive markets to Canadians: greater affordability, better and more innovative products and services, as well as increased productivity and economic growth,” he said.
Pratt officially becomes acting commissioner on December 18. The governor in council (the governor general acting on Cabinet advice) appoints the competition commissioner under the Competition Act.