Competition Bureau Publishes Sweeping Recommendations for Canadian Competition Law Reform

Practical Law Canada Competition, of which I am Lawyer Editor, has published a new Legal Update that discusses the Competition Bureau’s sweeping submission to the Canadian government in response to the government’s public consultation on amendments to the Competition Act.

Below is an excerpt with a link to the full Legal Update.

**********

This Legal Update discusses the Competition Bureau’s (Bureau) submission to the Canadian government in response to the government’s public consultation on amendments to the Competition Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34, which was launched in November 2022. The Update discusses the federal government’s consultation, key recommendations made by the Bureau and potential implications if the Bureau’s recommendations come into force.

On March 15, 2023, the Competition Bureau (Bureau) published its submission to the Canadian government in response to the government’s public consultation on amendments to the Competition Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34, which was launched in November 2022 (see The Future of Competition Policy in Canada, March 15, 2023).

The government’s public consultation, which invited input from a broad range of stakeholders on Canadian competition law and policy, is open until March 31, 2023 (see Statement from Minister Champagne on the launch of the Competition Act review, November 17, 2022).

The government’s consultation relates to a potential second round of significant Competition Act amendments, following a first round of recent amendments that were passed in June 2022 (see Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No. 1, S.C. 2022, c. 10).

In launching its consultation, the government said, “the objective is to ensure that [Canadian] competition law remains fit for purpose in a modern economy that continues to evolve quickly” and that it would look at ways to improve all of the key areas of Canadian competition law, including the scope of the Competition Act, enforcement methods and improvement or reinforcement of competition policy in increasingly digital and data-driven markets.

The Bureau has made more than 50 recommendations for Competition Act reform, including for changes to all of the cornerstone provisions, including in relation to merger review, unilateral conduct (including abuse of dominance), competitor collaborations, deceptive marketing and the enforcement and administration of Canadian competition law. The Bureau’s recommendations relate to each of the core five pillars of the Competition Act as set out in the government’s November 22, 2022 consultation paper The Future of Competition Policy in Canada (see The Future of Competition Policy in Canada).

(…)

For the full Legal Update, see: Competition Bureau Publishes Sweeping Recommendations for Canadian Competition Law Reform.

**********

SERVICES AND CONTACT

We are a Toronto based Canadian competition law and advertising law firm who helps clients in Toronto, Canada and the United States practically navigate Canada’s advertising and marketing laws and offers Canadian advertising/marketing law services in relation to print, online, new media, social media and e-mail marketing.

Our Canadian advertising/marketing law services include advice in relation to: anti-spam legislation (CASL); Competition Bureau complaints; the general misleading advertising provisions of the federal Competition Act; Internet, new media and social media advertising and marketing; promotional contests (sweepstakes); and sales and promotions. We also provide advice relating to specific types of advertising issues, including performance claims, testimonials, disclaimers, drip pricing, astroturfing and native advertising.

For more information about our services, see: services

To contact us about a potential legal matter, see: contact

For more information about our firm, visit our website: Competitionlawyer.ca

This entry was posted in Advertising Law, Articles, Competition Bureau, Competition Law, Compliance, Consumer Protection, Electronic Marketing, Internet Advertising, New legislation, New Publications, News, Online Advertising, Price Advertising, Publications, Sectors - Airlines, Sectors - Broadcasting, Sectors - Construction, Sectors - Food, Sectors - Food Services, Sectors - Internet & New Media, Sectors - Media, Sectors - Oil, Sectors - Pharmacists, Sectors - Real Estate, Sectors - Retail, Sectors - Telecommunications, Sectors - Telemarketing, Sectors - Tobacco, Sectors - Videogames, Targeted Advertising and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.