Proposed Amendments To The Corruption Of Foreign Public Officials Act

On February 5, 2013, Bill S-14, the Fighting Foreign Corruption Act, an act to amend the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (the "Act"), was introduced by the federal government and received its first reading in the Senate. The proposed amendments reinforce the federal government's commitment to combat corruption and bribery of foreign public officials. To date, there have only been three convictions under the Act, but there are currently thirty-five ongoing investigations.

Anti-corruption legislation should be of concern to all Canadian businesses and individuals conducting business abroad. Entirely apart from the proposed changes to Canada's bribery laws contained in Bill S-14, companies should review their internal compliance programs and codes of conduct regarding bribery and anti-corruption and should ensure that they are effective and up-to-date.