A charter awards the exclusive control over the supply of a product or service, free from competition?

Question

Is this true?

Answer 1

Some of the meanings of 'charter' are :
any formal writing in evidence of a grant, contract, or other transactions, conferring or confirming titles, rights, or privileges, or the like;
the formal deed by which a sovereign guarantees the rights and privileges of his subjects;
any instrument by which powers and privileges are conferred by the state on a body of persons for a special object.

From this, it would seem that in general, a charter is created by a government or the king, but it need not necessarily confer an exclusive right on the body or persons benefited by the charter.
Some examples could be found in Britain. One well-known example could be the creation of the erstwhile Chartered Bank by a Royal Charter.

Answer 2

It can. Here is an example of a famous Canadian charter:

http://www.hbc.com/hbcheritage/collections/archival/charter/