Competition Bureau Publishes New Competitor Collaboration Guidelines

On May 6, 2021, the Competition Bureau published updated Competitor Collaboration Guidelines, which replace the guidelines initially published in 2009. The updated publication only modestly deviates from its 2009 publication and closely mirrors the draft guidelines published in July 2020. However, some noteworthy changes provide insight into the Bureau's approach to enforcing competitor collaborations.

The Competitor Collaboration Guidelines ("CCGs") describe the Bureau's approach to assessing collaborations between competitors and enforcing the provisions of the Competition Act that relate to agreements among competitors. The recently updated CCGs reflect nearly a decade's worth of experience of administration and enforcement by the Bureau. The Bureau has not made any major changes in its approach to competitor collaborations, which signals that it is confident that its guidance is effective.