October 7, 2024 On September 23, 2024, Canada’s Competition Bureau announced that the federal Competition Tribunal (Tribunal) had found that Cineplex Inc. (Cineplex), a Canadian theatre chain, had engaged in drip pricing by adding a mandatory and insufficiently disclosed $1.50 online booking fee for the online sale of movie tickets (see: Competition Bureau wins deceptive marketing case against […] The post Canadian Competition Tribunal Releases Full Decision In $38.9 Million Cineplex Drip Pricing Case first appeared on COMPETITION LAW ..read more

July 9, 2024 OVERVIEW OF BILL C-59 AMENDMENTS TO THE COMPETITION ACT On June 20, 2024, Bill C-59 was passed, which introduced the third of three recent significant rounds of amendments to Canada’s federal Competition Act (together with amendments that were passed in June 2022 and December 2023). This third round of amendments to the Competition Act completes a sweeping overhaul […] The post 2024 Competition Act Amendments (Bill C-59): Significantly Increased Penalties and Enforcement Options Across Key Areas of Canadian Competition Law first appeared on COMPETITIO ..read more

July 5, 2024 OVERVIEW OF BILL C-59 AMENDMENTS TO THE COMPETITION ACT On June 20, 2024, Bill C-59 was passed, which introduced the third of three recent significant rounds of amendments to Canada’s federal Competition Act (together with amendments that were passed in June 2022 and December 2023). This third round of amendments to the Competition Act completes a sweeping overhaul […] The post 2024 Competition Act Amendments (Bill C-59): Advertisers Must Now Back Up Product and Business Related Environmental Claims first appeared on COMPETITION LAW ..read more

July 1, 2024 OVERVIEW OF BILL C-59 AMENDMENTS TO THE COMPETITION ACT On June 20, 2024, Bill C-59 was passed, which introduced the third of three recent significant rounds of amendments to Canada’s federal Competition Act (together with amendments that were passed in June 2022 and December 2023). This third round of amendments to the Competition Act completes a sweeping overhaul […] The post 2024 Competition Act Amendments (Bill C-59): Increased Risks for Advertisers for False or Misleading Price, Regular Price and Sale Claims first appeared on COMPETITION LAW ..read more

June 20, 2024 On June 20, 2024, Bill C-59 was passed, introducing the second of two recent significant rounds of amendments to Canada’s federal Competition Act (the first round introduced by Bill C-56). This new round of amendments to the Competition Act completes a sweeping overhaul of Canada’s Competition Act across virtually all key provisions of Canada’s competition legislation. These amendments are also the most significant changes to Canadian competition law since the modern Competition Act came into effect in 1986 replacing the former&nb ..read more

May 16, 2024 RECENT AND PROPOSED COMPETITION ACT AMENDMENTS (BILLS C-56 AND C-59) On December 15, 2023, Bill C-56 (An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act and the Competition Act), which introduced the first of two new significant rounds of amendments to the federal Competition Act, largely came into force. This first new round of amendments to the Competition Act, which is intended to strengthen the ability of the Competition Bureau and private parties to enforce Canadian competition law and enhance competition generally in Canada, includes fundamental changes to Canadian compe ..read more

May 16, 2024 On May 15, 2024, the Canadian Competition Bureau issued new guidance on drip pricing under the federal Competition Act (see: The Ambush of Hidden Fees). In making the announcement, the Competition Bureau said: “Saving money can be challenging these days. Especially when you are buying something you need, only to find that additional fees were tacked on. … Some companies offer low prices to attract consumers, but then add mandatory fees so that the prices are not attainable.” DRIP PRICING UNDER THE COMPETITION ACT “Drip pricing” refers to the practice of when a product or service i ..read more

December 16, 2023 On December 15, 2023, significant amendments to Canada’s federal Competition Act were passed, including important changes to Canada’s abuse of dominance (federal monopoly) law. This post discusses the December 2023 amendments in general and the key changes to the abuse of dominance provisions of the Competition Act in particular under sections 78 and 79. General Overview of the December 2023 Competition Act Amendments On December 15, 2023, Bill C-56 (An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act and the Competition Act), which introduced the first of two significant rounds of ..read more

On December 15, 2023, Bill C-56 (An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act and the Competition Act), which introduced the first of two significant new rounds of amendments to the federal Competition Act, largely came into force. This first new round of amendments to the Competition Act, which was intended to strengthen the ability of the Competition Bureau (Bureau) and private parties to enforce Canadian competition law and enhance competition in Canada overall, includes fundamental changes to Canadian competition law. These sweeping new amendments to the Competition Act  ..read more

October 18, 2023 On October 18, 2023, Canada’s Competition Bureau (Bureau) announced that it would release the findings of a new study of competitive intensity in Canada between 2000 and 2020 (see: Competition Bureau to release report and hold technical briefing on Canada’s declining competitive intensity). In announcing its new study, the Bureau said: “The report will review various measures of competition and economic dynamism in the Canadian economy as a whole. This includes a number of indicators, such as concentration, rank stability, entry and exit rates, as well as mark-ups and pro ..read more