The Competition Bureau has updated its organizational chart with John Pecman (formerly head of the Criminal Matters Branch) as Acting Commissioner of Competition. From the Bureau:
“John Pecman is Acting Commissioner of Competition.
The Commissioner is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Competition Act and three labelling statutes, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, the Precious Metals Marking Act and the Textile Labelling Act.
Under the Competition Act, the Commissioner can launch inquiries, challenge civil and merger matters before the Competition Tribunal, make recommendations on criminal matters to the Director of Public Prosecutions of Canada (DPP), and intervene as a competition advocate before federal and provincial bodies.
As head of the Canadian Competition Bureau, the Commissioner leads the Bureau’s participation in international fora such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Competition Network (ICN), to develop and promote coordinated competition laws and policies in an increasingly globalized marketplace.
John Pecman is an economist with an M.A. from McMaster University. John has worked at the Competition Bureau as an investigator and manager for over 28 years. He has worked in every enforcement branch of the Bureau, and has held a variety of increasingly senior positions since joining the Bureau in 1984. Most recently, since 2008, John has held the position of Senior Deputy Commissioner of Competition (EX-04) of the Criminal Matters Branch, where he is responsible for enforcing the price-fixing and bid-rigging provisions of the Competition Act.
As Senior Deputy Commissioner, John oversaw the Bureau’s role in the retail gasoline cartel investigations in Ontario and Quebec, where multiple charges have been laid, guilty pleas have been entered and jail sentences have been imposed. Under John’s leadership, the Criminal Matters Branch also works closely with foreign competition authorities in the enforcement of multi-jurisdictional cartel cases, such as the Air Cargo and recent Foam price fixing conspiracies.
John is the former Chair of the Bureau’s Enforcement and Policy Committee and is currently a Co-Chair of a Cartel Working Sub-Group on Investigative Techniques for the International Competition Network. His enforcement experience includes spending a number of years as the lead Bureau officer on the highly contested Superior Propane merger.”
No official announcement has yet been made.
We wish Mr. Pecman, who has particularly significant experience in the criminal matters area under Canadian competition law, all the best in his new role.
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