Bill C-49

SUMMARY

This enactment amends the Competition Act to authorize the Commissioner of Competition to conduct inquiries to determine the reasons why a product or class of products has a higher selling price in Canada than in the United States and to require the Commissioner to make public reports on completed inquiries. It also requires that those amendments be reviewed within five years after the day on which they come into force.

The enactment also amends that Act to expressly authorize the issuance of court orders requiring a person who is located outside Canada to attend an examination, to produce documents or to make a written return in order to provide the Commissioner with information. It also amends that Act to enable the Commissioner to obtain a court order requiring a person to provide the Commissioner with information that an affiliate of the person is likely to have and that is relevant to an inquiry. Finally, the enactment amends that Act to expand the concept of affiliation to a broader range of business organizations.