Find a Lawyer by selecting a Province
Competition / Antitrust Law Definition
Broadly speaking, the purpose of Canadian competition law is to provide consumers with competitive prices and product choices. The Competition Act is Canada's principal competition legislation. It is a federal statute that applies throughout the country to all sectors of the economy, with very limited exceptions. The Competition Act is administered by the Competition Bureau, a branch of the federal Department of Industry. The Competition Act contains criminal prohibitions against certain types of activities while other categories of conduct are subject to civil review at the Competition Tribunal or before the courts. Sanctions range from fines to imprisonment to orders prohibiting or prescribing certain conduct.
Competition lawyers in Canada typically provide advice to clients in the following key areas:
In addition to these principal substantive areas, competition lawyers will become involved on behalf of their clients in a variety of other matters covered by the Competition Act, including designing pricing and distribution programs; dealing with distributor terminations; and setting up advertising campaigns, contests, and other types of promotions. Counsel also will assist clients in related matters such as establishing compliance programs; dealing with Bureau investigations; and litigation (public and private).