North American antitrust authorities continue collaboration

News Release

May 20, 2016 — OTTAWA, ON — Competition Bureau

Commissioner of Competition John Pecman held talks with his American and Mexican counterparts in Toronto today.

Competition law issues of mutual interest were the subject of the discussions with Renata Hesse, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice (Antitrust Division), Edith Ramirez, Chairwoman of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and Alejandra Palacios Prieto, Chairwoman of the Mexican Federal Economic Competition Commission.

Topics of today’s trilateral meeting included priorities, recent cases, cooperation and the links between competition and innovation. This meeting of senior officials of the antitrust agencies occurs regularly, and is supplemented by working group meetings throughout the year to facilitate interagency enforcement cooperation and sharing best practices.

The heads of the North American antitrust authorities also participated in an enforcers panel held during the Canadian Bar Association’s Competition Law Spring Forum on developments, priorities, trends and reflections on competition enforcement in a global context.

U.S. and Mexico are two of Canada’s most important economic partners. Cooperation amongst the antitrust authorities is essential to promote competitive markets in the interests of consumers and businesses in the three countries.

Quick Facts

• Meetings with the Bureau’s international counterparts promote more effective international cooperation and the exchange of best practices in competition law enforcement and policy.
• Collaboration with the Bureau’s international counterparts supports the Bureau’s objective of increasing compliance with the Competition Act.
• The Bureau has cooperation instruments in place with 13 jurisdictions, including Australia, Brazil, Chile, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
• The Bureau and its North American partners also support and participate in multilateral fora, such as the International Competition Network and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Competition Committee to address anti‑competitive activity that crosses borders and promote sound competition policies internationally.

Associated Links

• Remarks by John Pecman, Commissioner of Competition — Competition Bureau: Innovating to Succeed
• 1995 Cooperation Agreement between Canada and the United States regarding competition law enforcement
• 2001 Cooperation Agreement between Canada and Mexico regarding competition law enforcement
• Competition Bureau’s International Efforts

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The Competition Bureau, as an independent law enforcement agency, ensures that Canadian businesses and consumers prosper in a competitive and innovative marketplace.

Hon. Navdeep Singh Bains Competition Bureau Information and Communications