Commissioner Announces “Bureau Without Borders”
Canada’s Interim Commissioner of Competition, John Pecman (Photo: Jeremy Calhoun for Couvrette/Ottawa)
In a recent speech, Interim Commissioner of Competition John Pecman announced his vision of a “Bureau Without Borders”. This vision includes the Competition Bureau’s ability to transcend international and domestic jurisdictional boundaries for the purposes of enforcement. Mr. Pecman proposes working with various stakeholders and enforcement partners in order to broaden the Bureau’s reach and promote compliance with the Competition Act.
The Bureau also announced two initiatives: a Transparency Initiative and The Criminal Cartel Whistleblowing Initiative.
The Transparency Initiative includes the Bureau’s commitment to continued disclosure regarding its operations. The Bureau will continue to:
- Consult on important issues and develop new bulletins and guidelines,
- Publish information about the outcome of inquiries, and
- Develop guidance on investigation and stakeholder communications.
The Criminal Cartel Whistleblowing Initiative will facilitate public reporting on possible violations of the criminal cartel provisions of the Competition Act. Any person who has reasonable grounds to believe that an offence has been committed or that an offence will be committed, can notify the Bureau and request that their identity be kept confidential.
For more information, read the Commissioner’s speech.
