Posted on 08 June 2009
Ottawa (June 8, 2009) – The Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce tabled today in the Senate its report entitled “Recent Competition Act Changes: A Work in Progress” on changes to the Competition Act found in Part 12 of the Budget Implementation Act, 2009.
The committee’s report summarizes the views and suggestions presented by witnesses regarding the Act’s revised and new criminal and civil conspiracy provisions, new pre-merger notification provisions, and increased fines for deceptive marketing practices. In general, witnesses were concerned about the inclusion of proposed changes to the Competition Act in a budget implementation bill and the consequential absence of debate over important issues concerning competition law.
Due largely to time constraints, since a report was required to be tabled by June 11, 2009 in accordance with the order of reference, the committee’s examination of the relevant issues was not sufficiently exhaustive to permit the making of recommendations. Consequently, the committee intends to undertake a more complete study of important competition law issues at a later date. This future study will include an examination of the new pre-merger notification rules as well as other changes to the Competition Act resulting from the Budget Implementation Act, 2009.
Also known as Bill C-10, the Budget Implementation Act, 2009 was introduced as an omnibus bill that amended or introduced 42 acts of Parliament. The bill received expedited parliamentary review with the understanding that various committees of the Senate would be permitted a more detailed examination of some of the elements that make up the Budget Implementation Act, 2009.
The Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce is Senator Michael Meighen, Q.C. (St. Marys – Ontario). The Deputy Chair, Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette, P.C. (Bedford, Quebec), is the first woman senator in Canada to occupy that position. The other permanent members of the committee are the following Honourable Senators: Joseph A. Day (Saint John – Kennebecasis – New Brunswick; J. Trevor Eyton (Ontario); Francis Fox, P.C. (Victoria – Quebec); Irving R. Gerstein (Toronto – Ontario); Stephen Greene (Halifax – The Citadel – Nova Scotia); Mac Harb (Ontario); Paul J. Massicotte (De Lanaudière – Quebec); Wilfred P. Moore (Stanhope St./South Shore – Nova Scotia); Donald H. Oliver (South Shore – Nova Scotia); and Pierrette Ringuette (New Brunswick).
For further information on the committee or to obtain a copy of the report, please visit: http://senate-senat.ca/bancom-e.asp or contact:
Francine Pressault
Media Relations
613-944-4075 or 1-800-267-7362
pressf@sen.parl.gc.ca
Dr. Line Gravel
Committee Clerk
613-990-6081 or 1-800-267-7362
gravel@sen.parl.gc.ca