Competition Bureau Announces Collaboration Accord With Canadian Bar Association

Ottawa, October 11, 2007 — The Competition Bureau announced today that it and the Canadian Bar Association's National Competition Law Section (the "Section") have endorsed a protocol to promote more effective cooperation.

"This report clarifies our rules of engagement with the Canadian Bar Association and should lead to a more open and effective relationship," said Commissioner of Competition Sheridan Scott. "A better understanding of each other's perspectives will allow us to advance our shared interest in the sound development of competition policy and practice. Indeed, we have already pursued initiatives to our joint advantage."

Last fall, the Bureau and the Section identified the opportunity to improve collaboration. As a result, a joint task force was struck to explore this goal. Using as a model the effective working relationship between the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law and the US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, the task force came up with a series of proposals, including:

• Bureau staff may be invited to serve as Section committee Chairs and Vice-Chairs;
• Task forces, composed of personnel from the Bureau and the Section, will be struck to deal with particular issues of mutual interest (e.g., merger notification and procedures in hostile transactions);
• Ad hoc working groups, drawing on the expertise of Section members, may be established by the Commissioner of Competition periodically;

The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency. We contribute to the prosperity of Canadians by protecting and promoting competitive markets and enabling informed consumer choice.

The Final Report of the Task Force on Collaboration Between the Competition Bureau and the Canadian Bar Association's National Competition Law Section can be found on the CBA's Web site.

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