Canada´s Competition Bureau Releases Precedent Merger Consent Agreement Outline

Canada's Competition Bureau released its precedent Consent Agreement Outline for merger remedies on May 1, 2007, which forms an appendix to the previously released Information Bulletin on Merger Remedies in Canada. As noted by the Bureau in its accompanying news release, the Consent Agreement Outline is a generic model on which to base future consent agreements in merger cases. Each such agreement will be tailored to the specific facts and circumstances of the case. The Consent Agreement Outline covers many areas, many of which have been dealt with in some manner in prior cases. As a starting point for future negotiations, however, it contains provisions that are probably more than most parties could reasonably be expected to agree with.