Minister of Industry tables amendments to strengthen the Competition Act

OTTAWA, November 2, 2004 — The Honourable David L. Emerson, Minister of Industry, today tabled amendments to the Competition Act in the House of Commons. The proposed changes will strengthen Canada's competition framework in a global economy to benefit both consumers and businesses.

"Strengthening the remedies available under the Competition Act will promote timely and voluntary compliance," said Minister Emerson. "In addition, the proposal for restitution will enable consumers to get money back if they have been misled by false claims."

The amendments will benefit consumers and businesses by:

• providing authority for the Commissioner of Competition to seek restitution for consumer loss resulting from false or misleading representations;
• introducing a general administrative monetary penalty provision for abuse of dominance in any industry;
• removing the airline-specific provisions from the Act to return it to a law of general application;
• increasing the level of administrative monetary penalties for deceptive marketing practices; and
• decriminalizing the pricing provisions.

"This legislation balances the interests of consumers and businesses," said Minister Emerson. "These proposals are firmly rooted in the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology's comprehensive 2002 report on modernizing Canada's competition regime."

Following the release of a government discussion paper in June 2003, the Competition Bureau hired the Public Policy Forum, an independent non-profit organization, to conduct national consultations based on the discussion paper. Over 100 written submissions were received and roundtable discussions were held across Canada.

Backgrounder > Proposed changes to the Competition Act

For more information, please contact:

Tim Weil
Director of Strategic Communications
Competition Bureau
(819) 953-9271