Annual Report 1994/95 - Introduction

This Annual Report marks the completion of my second year as Director of Investigation and Research, responsible for the administration and enforcement of Canada's Competition Act. It has been a time in which we have seen governments dealing with harsh economic realities. We have seen a growing awareness in business and the consuming public of the benefits that accrue from a healthy, competitive marketplace. We have seen entire business sectors attempting to deal with a rapid evolution from regulation to the dynamism of competition.

This report not only reveals the directions in which I have been leading the Bureau during this time, and displays the diversity of its activities, but also indicates some interesting trends: average fines are increasing in cases of deceptive marketing practices; the number of applications to the Competition Tribunal is rising; Bureau officials are playing an important role in international and inter-jurisdictional matters; and our compliance and education programs are proving their effectiveness.

I am also keenly aware that during my tenure as Director, the government as a whole has been subject to a wide-ranging review of all its operations. Many departments and agencies have had to cut back substantially on their activities, resulting in enormous resource reductions.

In fact, Industry Canada, of which the Bureau is part, was one of several federal departments identified as "most affected" in the most recent program review exercise. As such, it is subject to a budget reduction of some 42.5 percent over the three-year period of the initiative. Even though the government has continued to recognize competition and the Competition Act as key elements of Canadian business framework laws, the Bureau was certainly not immune to the effects of these reductions.

Like other government organizations, we in the Bureau must continue to look for ways to accomplish our core work by finding alternatives to traditional methods. This will become of even more pressing concern as the scope of activity falling under the Act expands with previously regulated industries becoming increasingly subject to the disciplines of the marketplace. I am seeking to address this situation by reviewing our priority case selection criteria, seeking efficiencies in our management of cases and emphasizing the best use of our people and financial resources.

Fundamental to optimum use of staff is ensuring that they are properly equipped to do their job. Accordingly, I continue to make it a high priority for Bureau staff to meet nothing short of the highest standards of professionalism, in part by ensuring that our training plans not only fulfill current needs, but anticipate future ones. We have sent our officials to training organizations, academic centres, and seminars whenever we have identified a need or an opportunity to equip them to do their jobs better. Last year, more than five days of training per Bureau employee was taken, an average which surpasses that of most other organizations.

I also recognize the importance of making sure that our knowledge of new law enforcement technology is state-of-the-art. To that end, the Bureau's Competition Policy Automated Support Systems (COMPASS) team provides us with information management and information technology services. COMPASS uses the latest imaging technology to support case work, and has recently implemented a system to capture complaints and service requests we receive.

We are working closely with law enforcement agencies in training our people in the best, latest and most acceptable ways of carrying out the electronic search function, and I'm pleased to note that the courts have recently confirmed our computer search powers.

I present the report of proceedings under the Act for fiscal year 1994-1995, with pride in our accomplishments and optimism for our future.