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ARTICLE · 27 JUNE 2022

Federal Government Enacts Significant Amendments To Canada's Competition Act

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Significant amendments to Canada's Competition Act (Act) were enacted on June 23, 2022, with the passing of the federal government's 2022 budget implementation legislation.

CanadaAntitrust/Competition Law
Anita Banicevic
Anita Banicevic
Mark Katz
Mark Katz
Charles Tingley
Charles Tingley
Joshua Hollenberg
Joshua Hollenberg
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Significant amendments to Canada's Competition Act (Act) were enacted on June 23, 2022, with the passing of the federal government's 2022 budget implementation legislation.

The amendments foreshadow more aggressive Competition Bureau (Bureau) enforcement of the Act, especially regarding the abuse of dominance provisions, with companies operating in digital and high-tech industries of particular interest. The amendments also may lead to a new wave of private enforcement actions, whether private applications to the Competition Tribunal alleging abuse of dominance violations or private civil actions for damages resulting from alleged involvement in wage-fixing, no-poaching agreements, or drip-pricing conduct (all of which will become potential criminal offences). For more on the substance of these amendments, read our previous article.

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