Bureau Operations
In 2000-2001, the operating budget for the Bureau was $26.5 million including carryforward. In addition, $3.321 million in supplementary estimates was provided for additional operational requirements. The Bureau also generated $8.5 million in fees of which $7.5M was accessible by the Bureau. A major portion of the budget, $22.3 million was allocated to salaries for 383 authorized full time staff, consisting of 24 executives, 13 economists, 223 commerce officers, and 123 employees carrying out informatics, administrative services and support functions.
During 2000-2001, $18,735,000 in fines was imposed.
| 1997-1998 | 1998-1999 | 1999-2000 | 2000-2001 | |
| Number of complaints, examinations, inquiries and advisory opinions |
||||
| Total complaints/information requests |
6,939 |
10,009 |
13,803 |
16,570 |
| Examinations (two or more days of review) |
870 | 601 | 655 |
711 |
| Applications for inquiries under section 9 |
11 | 11 | 13 | 8 |
| Inquiries in progress at year end |
40 | 48 | 48 | 35 |
| Written advisory opinions |
235 | 75 | 51 | 40 |
| Disposition of inquiries |
||||
| Inquiries formally discontinued | 29 | 21 | 18 | 11 |
| Matters referred to the Attorney General of Canada | 8 | 8 | 12 | 14 |
| Matters referred where further action is not warranted | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Prosecutions or other proceedings commenced |
6 | 8 | 9 | 14 |
| Applications to the Competition Tribunal | 8 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| -Mergers |
4 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| -Other reviewable practices |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Representatives before regulatory bodies | 14 | 15 | 7 | 13 |
| 1997-1998 | 1998-1999 |
1999-2000 | 2000-2001 |
|
| Number of complaints, examinations and inquiries |
||||
| Total complaints/information contacts | 503 | 819 | 613 | 618 |
| Examinations commenced (two or more days of review) | 41 | 29 | 43 | 43 |
| Applications for inquiries under
section
9 |
3 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Inquiries in progress at year end | 5 | 8 | 10 | 11 |
| Written advisory opinions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Disposition of inquiries |
||||
| Inquiries resolved by alternative case resolution | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Applications to the Competition Tribunal | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Discontinuances | 11 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Interventions |
||||
| CRTC | 9 | 8 | 2 | 4 |
| Provincial | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| CITT | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Policy work | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 1997-1998 | 1998-1999 | 1999-2000 | 2000-2001 |
|
| Number of complaints, examinations and inquiries | ||||
| Total complaints/information requests |
1,285 |
937 | 1,945 |
966 |
| Examinations commenced |
39 | 49 | 37 | 57 |
| Applications for inquiries under section 9 |
4 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Inquiries in progress at year end | 20 | 26 | 22 | 24 |
| Disposition of inquiries | ||||
| Matters referred to the Attorney General of Canada | 3 | 7 | 9 | 8 |
| Matters where charges were laid |
3 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Matters where Attorney General declined to proceed or withdrew charges (may include matters referred during previous years) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Matters before the Courts (may include matters referred during previous years) | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Disposition of prosecutions (findings of guilt, guilty pleas, acquittals, stay of proceedings, orders of prohibition - may include matters referred during previous years) | 48 | 16 | 21 | 14 |
| Other activities | ||||
| Examinations resolved by information contacts | 13 | 11 | 6 | 12 |
| Written advisory opinions | 12 | 8 | 7 | 2 |
| Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) requests |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Searches |
1 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 1997- 1998 |
1998- 1999 |
1999- 2000 |
2000- 2001 |
|
Examinations Commenced
Notifiable Transactions Advance Ruling Certificate Requests |
320
190 219 |
309
191 174 |
361
198 209 |
373
206 255 |
| Examinations Concluded | ||||
| Posing No Issue Under the Act | 406 | 346 | 392 | 381 |
| With Pre-closing Restructuring | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| With Post-closing Restructuring and Undertakings | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 |
| With Consent Orders | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Through Contested Proceedings | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Parties Abandoned Proposed Mergers in Whole or in Part as a Result of the Commissioner's Position | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Total Examinations Concluded
(includes advance ruling certificates and advisory opinions issued and matters that have been concluded or withdrawn before the Competition Tribunal) |
340 | 302 | 338 | 389 |
| Advance Ruling Certificates Issued (included in Total Examinations Concluded) |
123 | 186 | 128 | 215 |
| Advisory Opinions Issued (included in Total Examinations Concluded) | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| Examinations Ongoing at Year-end | 37 | 44 | 67 | 54 |
| Total Examinations During the Year | 377 | 346 | 405 | 443 |
| Applications and Notices of Application Before the Tribunal and the Courts | ||||
| Concluded or Withdrawn*** | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Ongoing | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| BUSINESS LINE | 1997- 1998 |
1998- 1999 |
1999- 2000 |
2000- 2001 |
| Pre-merger Notification Filing | 90 | 109 | 92 | 73 |
| Advance Ruling Certificate Request | 285 | 226 | 273 | 255 |
| Other Examinations | 17 | 26 | 60 | 45 |
| Total Mergers | 392 | 361 | 425 | 373 |
| Asset Securitizations | 72 | 52 | 64 | 0 |
| Total Minus Securitizations | 320 | 309 | 361 | 373 |
| 1997-1998 | 1998-1999 |
1999-2000 | 2000-2001 | |
| Number of complaints, examinations and inquiries | ||||
| Total complaints received (Competition Act) |
5,148 |
8,253 |
11,240 |
14,851 |
| Total complaints received (Labelling Acts) |
452 |
477 |
not available |
135 |
| Applications for inquiries under section 9 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Inquiries commenced |
9 | 4 | 13 | 12 |
| Disposition of inquiries | ||||
| Completed examinations/inquiries (Competition Act) | 397 | 163 | 140 | 238 |
| Completed examinations/ inspections (Labelling Statutes) | 2,368 |
2,012 |
2,316 |
433 |
| Information contacts (includes only written contacts) | 208 |
137 |
110 |
198 |
| Undertakings (terms signed off) Competition Act | 2 | 3 | 9 | 3 |
| Undertakings (Labelling Statutes) |
122 | |||
| Inquiries formally discontinued |
||||
| Cases involving undertakings | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Inquiry discontinued - no further action required | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Matters referred to the Attorney General of Canada | 5 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Matters where further action is not warranted | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prosecutions commenced (may include matters referred previous years) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Prosecutions concluded (May include matters referred during previous years) |
||||
| convictions | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| non-convictions | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Application to the Competition Tribunal (Consent Orders Filed) |
||||
| Consent Orders Filed | n.a |
n.a |
1 | 2 |
| Request advisory opinions (written opinions given) |
||||
| Advisory Opinion Provided | 201 | 40 | 39 | 33 |
| Total Fines ($) | ||||
| Competition Act | $573,300 |
$1,402,500 |
$1,190,000 |
$1,000,000 |
| Labelling Acts |
$3,000 |
|||