Something Old, Something New: Private Member´s Bill Moves Forward With Potential For Big Changes To Canada´s Competition Act

Nearly six years after the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology released its report "A Plan to Modernize Canada's Competition Act," and more than two years after the death of Bill C-19 on the parliamentary order paper, Parliament is once again considering a proposal to make significant amendments to the Competition Act.

A private member's bill, introduced by Bloc Québécois MP Roger Gaudet last October, has received second reading in Parliament, and will now move to Committee for debate. If passed in its current form, it would entail such significant - and controversial - changes as:

• enabling the Commissioner to commence an inquiry into an entire industry sector whenever she "has reason to believe that grounds exist" for doing so¹;