Annual Report 1995/96 - Introduction

Annual Report of the Director of Investigation and Research, Competition Bureau 1995-1996

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Introduction

This Annual Report of the Director of Investigation and Research records some significant achievements of the Competition Bureau during the 1995-96 fiscal year. In common with many other organizations, public and private, at home and abroad, the Bureau has found itself coping with the reality of diminishing resources in an environment of constantly increasing demands.

We have been approaching the challenge in a number of different ways: we have consolidated and streamlined many of our operations, particularly in the Marketing Practices area, and have increasingly focussed our enforcement efforts on cases having a significant economic impact; we have increased our efforts in the compliance and education areas; we have continued to develop and refine case selection criteria - an initiative whose importance increases as continued deregulation in the telecommunications, electrical and financial sectors significantly increases the Bureau's workload. Greater international cooperation with other competition law authorities and the consequent sharing of information and resources within strict confidentiality requirements, have been actively encouraged.

Preparatory work began early in the year for proposed amendments to the Competition Act, and encompassed a wide consultation process. Public requests for input led to the establishment of a consultative panel which examined alternative proposals and completed a report in March of 1996. The process is described in detail in our quarterly publication CompAct, Issue #1 and Issue #2, 1996.

The past year saw the highest fine yet imposed for a single charge under the Competition Act, $2.5 million, as well as the start of the first jury trial under the Act.

Merger activity increased significantly, with the number of merger examinations started rising by 18 percent over the previous year.

Technological change not only affected the business the Bureau does, but also affected the way it does business. The Bureau now has a web site on the Internet (http://www.cb-bc.gc.ca).

The following pages provide a more detailed look at Bureau activities from April 1, 1995 to March 31, 1996.