Competition Bureau develops closer international ties in the fight against cross-border fraud and deception

OTTAWA, April 29, 2004 - To more effectively fight cross-border consumer fraud and deception committed by telemarketing, mail and over the Internet, the Competition Bureau recently signed two information sharing protocols with its international partners.

The first was signed with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on March 22, 2004. The signing of the Canada-Australia Information Sharing Protocol took place during the bi-annual meeting of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) in Saariselkä, Finland. A second information sharing protocol was signed with the UK Office of Fair Trading on March 25, 2004 in London, England.

These protocols formalize how the Competition Bureau and each of its law enforcement partners will share complaint and investigation data in order to catch cross-border fraud operators faster and more efficiently. In addition, they streamline and enhance cooperation under prior cooperation agreements entered between Canada and the United Kingdom, and between Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

These information sharing protocols advance the implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Protecting Consumers from Fraudulent and Deceptive Commercial Activities Across Borders, which were adopted in June 2003 by the OECD Council.

The Competition Bureau and its counterparts in the United Kingdom and Australia are already cooperating in a number of investigations. It is believed that the information sharing protocols will make cooperation more efficient in the fight against cross-border fraud.

ICPEN, which was established in 1992, is a network of government organizations involved in the enforcement of fair trade practice laws and other consumer protection activities. It groups organizations from 29 countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.

The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency that promotes and maintains fair competition so that all Canadians can benefit from competitive prices, product choice and quality service. It oversees the application of the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, the Textile Labelling Act and the Precious Metals Marking Act.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Maureen McGrath
Senior Communications Advisor
Communications Branch
(819) 953-8982, or (613) 296-2187 (cell)

For general enquiries, please contact:
Information Centre
Competition Bureau
1-800-348-5358