The Competition Bureau has announced that a further individual has pleaded guilty and has been fined in the Quebec gas price-fixing cartel. In making the announcement, the Bureau said that Micheline Lapointe-Cabana, owner of a service station in Magog, Quebec operated under the Petro-Canada banner, was sentenced to personally pay a fine of $20,000.
In this case, which was one of the largest criminal cases in the Bureau’s history, charges were laid against thirty-eight individuals and fourteen companies accused of fixing the price of gasoline at the pumps at several locations in Quebec. According to the Bureau, to date six companies and eleven individuals have pleaded guilty in the case.
The case is also somewhat noteworthy in that six individuals have been sentenced to total imprisonment of 54 months (served in the community). While the penalties for contravening the criminal conspiracy provisions of the Competition Act include imprisonment for up to fourteen years, prison sentences have been, at least to date, relatively rare in Canada with liability in many cases being negotiated down to corporate liability and fines.
For the Bureau’s news release see:
Individual Fined in Quebec Gasoline Price-Fixing Cartel
____________________
For more information about our regulatory law services contact us: contact
For more regulatory law updates follow us on Twitter: @CanadaAttorney
Templates/precedents and checklists to run promotional contests in Canada
Templates/precedents and checklists to comply with Canadian anti-spam law (CASL)
