A New Playing Field: Summarizing Sweeping Reforms To The Canadian Competition Act

On June 20, 2024, Bill C-59, known as The Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act¹, 2023, received royal assent, enacting further amendments to Canada's Competition Act (the "Act"). Over the last two years, the Act has been substantially reformed through three separate rounds of amendments. Cumulatively, these changes represent the most significant changes to Canadian competition law since 1985, when the Act was enacted.

This article briefly summarizes these amendments, and sets the table for how the Competition Bureau (the "Bureau") and its Commissioner of Competition (the "Commissioner"), who were the main proponents for reform, will use the modernized Act to increase the Bureau's enforcement and monitoring activities. Separately, Miller Thomson will release a series of subject-matter focused bulletins detailing how the amendments may impact different aspects of your business and its day to day activities, as well as how to be proactive in safeguarding your