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Written Opinions

The Bureau provides legally binding written opinions to businesses seeking to comply with the Competition Act. Company officials, lawyers and others may request written opinions on whether proposed business plans and practices would raise concerns under the Act. The Bureau's written opinions take into account jurisprudence, previous written opinions and current policies. Written opinions are binding for as long as the facts of the situation remain substantially unchanged and the firm carries out the business plan or practice substantially as proposed.

With the consent of the requesting parties, opinions are published in their entirety. Where consent is not obtained, the Bureau edits the opinion to remove company names and/or produce a summary of the opinion that protects identities and commercially sensitive information.

The Competition Bureau has established fees and service standards for certain services and regulatory processes under the Competition Act. These apply to Written Opinion requests, Advance Ruling Certificate requests, Merger Notification Filings and photocopies.