Competition regulators pursued another aggressive year of criminal enforcement in Canada. While the Commissioner of Competition did not announce any new large-scale investigations in conjunction with international regulators, the Criminal Matters Branch of the Competition Bureau continued to aggressively prosecute a number of active cases, particularly in the auto-parts and infrastructure sectors. The Commissioner's enforcement activities in 2014 were heavily focused on prosecuting and punishing bid-rigging conduct; the Commissioner secured a number of new guilty pleas with significant fines – totalling roughly C$17 million – and he made good on his policy statements to prosecute individuals where appropriate.

In addition, the Commissioner's enforcement activities continued to be matched – and in some cases, overshadowed – by the enforcement activities of the private class actions bar in Canada. Following the issuance of a trilogy of landmark rulings by the Supreme Court of Canada in late 2013, the class actions bar has pursued another aggressive year of seeking restitution on behalf of class members that had been harmed by criminal conduct, even in cases where the Commissioner has declined to act. Finally, any report on criminal developments in Canada would be incomplete without noting the increased enforcement activities of regulators in Canada in respect of domestic and foreign corruption.

In our annual report on antitrust enforcement, we highlight some of these major enforcement developments and judicial decisions while examining important enforcement trends and upcoming cases to help you prepare for 2015.

Read the Year in Review (PDF). 

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