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ARTICLE · 16 FEBRUARY 2022

Canadian Government And Competition Bureau Signal Potential Changes To Merger Notification And Approval Process

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Earlier this week the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and the Competition Bureau (Bureau) separately announced proposals to amend the Competition Act, including proposals...

CanadaAntitrust/Competition Law
Ian Li
Ian Li
Eric Patenaude
Eric Patenaude
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Earlier this week the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and the Competition Bureau (Bureau) separately announced proposals to amend the Competition Act, including proposals that would represent dramatic changes to existing merger review practice.

The Bureau's recommendations, if adopted, would herald a new era of regulatory intervention in M&A transactions. In particular, there are recommendations that would make it much easier for the Commissioner of Competition (Commissioner) to block mergers without many of the procedural or evidentiary safeguards that are in place today.

While these announcements signal likely changes to the Competition Act, the precise scope and timeframe for these changes are still unknown.

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