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ARTICLE · 02 JANUARY 2024

Federal Government To Significantly Overhaul The Competition Act

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Following several years of lively public discussion, two high-profile consultations and the introduction of several "interim amendments" to the Competition Act in 2022...

CanadaAntitrust/Competition Law
Melanie Aitken
Melanie Aitken
Randal Hughes
Randal Hughes
Emrys Davis
Emrys Davis
Zirjan (Zee) J. Derwa
Zirjan (Zee) J. Derwa
Christina Skinner
Christina Skinner
Kolding K. Larson
Kolding K. Larson
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Following several years of lively public discussion, two high-profile consultations and the introduction of several "interim amendments" to the Competition Act in 2022,1 the federal government has now tabled two new bills (Bill C-56 and Bill C-59), which together, would introduce the most significant reforms to Canadian competition policy in several decades.

Overall, they grant the Commissioner of Competition (Commissioner) significant new powers and more lenient standards against which he can establish violations. In addition, the proposed expansion of private litigation under the Competition Act to enable applicants to obtain compensation for certain civil matters represents a fundamental shift in competition law in Canada.

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