Annual Report 1996/97 - Compliance and education activities growing in importance

Bureau programs to encourage compliance with the Competition Act continued to be a key activity. The Director and other senior managers undertook a variety of speaking engagements. The new quarterly publication, CompAct, which provides timely information on Bureau activities, has been well received by the business and legal communities. In its efforts to improve its ability to disseminate information on a timely basis, the Bureau has begun a review of its Internet presence and the use it is making of its home page on the Industry Canada Strategis site.

Development of a fee and service standards policy

In preparation for consultation on a proposal for the introduction of fees for a limited number of Bureau services and activities, comments received during the 1993 consultations on fees and during the 1995 survey about the Program of Advisory Opinions were re-examined. Costing of Bureau activities was updated and the experience of other jurisdictions in this area was studied in preparation for the launch of a further more in-depth round of consultations. Steps were also taken to secure Treasury Board approval for the Bureau to access revenue from fees, in order to enhance service in those areas for which fees are charged. Consultations on the subject of fees were planned for summer 1997, and it was expected that fees will be in place in the fall of 1997.

Bulletin on Corporate Compliance Programs

In February 1996, the Bureau issued a draft bulletin for comment on the subject of Corporate Compliance Programs. The document described the Bureau's view of the benefits that flow from implementing an in-house program and the essential elements that the Bureau believes such a program must contain in order to be considered effective. The Bureau has received a substantial number of comments, many of them comprehensive, on the draft document. These are being considered in the preparation of a final document. Its release was scheduled for early in the 1997-1998 fiscal year.