Annual Report of the Commissioner of Competition for the Year Ending March 31, 2000

Organizational Structure of the Competition Bureau

The Bureau employs 296 people in the National Capital Region and 86 in seven regional offices. As the organizational chart below shows, the Bureau comprises six branches.

• Commissioner of Competition
  • Mergers
  • Civil Matters
  • Compliance and Operations
  • Criminal Matters
  • Economics and International Affairs
  • Fair Business Practices

The Commissioner of Competition is head of the Competition Bureau and is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, the Precious Metals Marking Act and the Textile Labelling Act.

Mergers Branch reviews merger transactions. Mergers in which the parties have combined sales or assets in excess of $400 million, and in which the value of the transaction exceeds $35 million, require advance filing with the Prenotification Unit of the Mergers Branch.

Compliance and Operations Branch develops the Bureau's compliance program, enforcement policy, public education initiatives and communications programs. It also handles planning, administration and informatics activities.

Economics and International Affairs Branch coordinates international cooperation and policy development in many fora on international competition policy, and liaises with foreign authorities and other government departments and agencies. The Branch provides economic advice and analysis to the enforcement branches on specific cases, on enforcement policy issues and on legislative changes and regulatory interventions. The Branch also assists other government departments and agencies by providing competition policy advice and recommendations.

Civil Matters Branch reviews anti-competitive behaviours, such as abuse of dominant position, and restraints imposed by suppliers on customers, such as refusal to supply, exclusive dealing and tied selling. The Branch is also responsible for the Bureau's interventions before federal and provincial regulatory boards and tribunals.

Criminal Matters Branch reviews criminal offences relating to anti-competitive behaviours. These include conspiracies that have an undue impact on competition, bid rigging, price discrimination, predatory pricing and price maintenance. The Branch is also responsible for the Amendments Unit, which ensures that the provisions of the Competition Act and labelling legislation remain relevant.

Fair Business Practices Branch administers and enforces the misleading representations and deceptive marketing practices provisions of the Competition Act. These provisions include deceptive telemarketing, ordinary price claims and promotional contests. The Branch is also responsible for administering and enforcing the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, the Precious Metals Marking Act and the Textile Labelling Act. The Branch's work is carried out by staff in a network of offices located in the Atlantic Region, Quebec Region, the National Capital Region, Ontario Region, Prairie Region and Pacific Region.