Annual Report of the Commissioner of Competition for the year ending March 31, 1999

In Memory of Jim Bocking

This annual report demonstrates the very high level of activity sustained by the Bureau's employees during the 1998-99 fiscal year. Together, staff rose to a series of challenges, lending support across branches where necessary.

In early 1999, however, the Bureau suffered a severe loss. Jim Bocking, a long-time manager, passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Jim was loved and respected by us all. Many staff had known Jim since he joined the Bureau on leaving Queen's University in 1972. Over the years, he held a number of senior positions, most recently as Assistant Deputy Director of Investigation and Research in the Mergers Branch.

From the outset of his career, Jim believed in the importance of maintaining a thoroughly modern competition framework, and in the value of ensuring compliance through education, mediation and, when necessary, prosecution.

He led many major investigations and merger examinations for the Bureau. They ranged from cases that established the limits for setting fees by law societies, to an inquiry leading to the Report of the Restrictive Trade Practices Commission on the Petroleum Industry, to several major merger reviews. One of Jim's final cases was the proposed merger between Petro-Canada and Ultramar Diamond Shamrock in the summer of 1998.

Beyond his accomplishments as a case officer and manager, Jim Bocking will be remembered by Bureau staff, members of the legal and business communities, his friends and family, for his extraordinary character and charm. He was a professional and a gentleman. His integrity and honesty made him an outstanding representative of the Competition Bureau and the public service. His presence among us will be sorely missed.