PIAC and Bar Association square off over amendments to Competition Act that could affect telecom

By Perry Hoffman

OTTAWA - The Public Interest Advocacy Centre and the Canadian Bar Association locked horns this week in a Parliamentary committee over proposed amendments to the Competition Act, which would authorize the Competition Bureau to conduct entire market studies in the absence of a complaint regarding anti-competitive behaviour. Bill C-452, a private member’s bill introduced by Bloc Québécois MP Robert Vincent, seeks to change the current law, which says the Commissioner of Competition can only launch an investigation when there is a concern about one or more market participants. While the bill appears to have originally been tabled to deal with...