Attorney General Of Canada Challenges Court Decision in St. John’s Taxi Case

OTTAWA, October 20, 2006 - The Attorney General of Canada filed an application on October 18, 2006, challenging a provincial court decision to discharge 12 accused charged with Competition Act violations in the St. John’s Taxi case further to a preliminary inquiry into the charges.

On September 18, 2006, the preliminary inquiry judge of the Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador ordered that the accused be discharged and not be committed to stand trial for the charge of conspiracy, contrary to section 45 of the Competition Act. The application by the Attorney General of Canada, filed in the Supreme Court Trial Division of Newfoundland and Labrador seeks to have the discharge reviewed and ultimately to have the accused committed to trial.

The charges, laid under the Competition Act in July 2004, stemmed from a Competition Bureau investigation into an alleged agreement among the accused to lessen competition in bidding for taxi-service contracts in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency. We contribute to the prosperity of Canadians by protecting and promoting competitive markets and enabling informed consumer choice.

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