Competition Bureau Seeks Comments on "Made in Canada" Claims Relating to Diamonds

OTTAWA, August 9, 2000 — The Competition Bureau is seeking public comment, through a Notice of Consultation, on how it enforces the Competition Act when reviewing claims that diamonds are "Canadian" or "of Canada".

Diamond mining in Canada is a new and rapidly growing industry, and questions have arisen on how diamonds may be marketed to prospective purchasers. This consultative process is part of the Bureau's overall commitment to developing enforcement and educational tools through an open and transparent process.

The purpose of this consultation is to determine when "Made in Canada" claims relating to diamonds would not raise issues under the misleading advertising and deceptive marketing practices provisions of the Act.

The Notice of Consultation outlines the Bureau's current enforcement approach when reviewing "Made in Canada" claims used in the promotion and advertising of diamonds. As well, in order to guide diamond suppliers and industry stakeholders, the notice also outlines the types of claims that the Bureau will not consider false or misleading.

The consultation period will last for 45 days. Comments from industry stakeholders, consumers and other interested parties are requested by September 23, 2000. These can be submitted by regular mail, facsimile, or e-mail. All submissions will be made available to the public and will be posted on the Bureau's Web site, except where confidentiality is specifically requested.

For assistance or to obtain a copy of the Notice of Consultation, please call the Bureau's Information Centre at 819-997-4282 or Toll-Free at 1-800-348-5358 or visit our Web site at: http://competition.ic.gc.ca.