OUR CANADIAN COMPETITION LAW SERVICES
We practice federal Canadian competition/antitrust law, have acted for domestic and international clients in relation to hundreds of competition law matters and provide a full range of competition law and foreign investment law services in relation to the merger, conspiracy, bid-rigging, misleading advertising, promotional contest, deceptive marketing and foreign investment provisions of the Competition Act and Investment Canada Act. We practice federal law and so can and often have provided advice to clients across Canada and internationally. Our competition law and foreign investment law services include:
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING LAW
We offer a full range of Canadian misleading advertising and marketing law services in relation to print, online and new media advertising and marketing. Our services include advice in relation to:
- The “general” misleading advertising provisions of the Competition Act.
- Internet, online & new media advertising and marketing.
- Sales and promotions.
- Promotional contests.
- Multi-level marketing plans and pyramid selling.
- The deceptive marketing provisions of the Competition Act.
- Federal consumer packaging and labelling legislation.
For more see: Misleading Advertising.
BID-RIGGING
We offer a range of bid-rigging law services including advice on the application and scope of the criminal bid-rigging provisions of the Competition Act, bid and tender documentation and processes and compliance with the bid-rigging provisions. Our services include:
- Advice on the application of the criminal bid rigging provisions.
- Review and advice in relation to competitive tenders and proposals.
For more see: Bid-rigging.
COMPETITION BUREAU INVESTIGATIONS
We provide a full range of services in relation to civil and criminal competition law investigations, searches and compulsory and voluntary information requests. Our experience includes assisting clients with criminal and civil searches, compulsory production orders (section 11 orders), voluntary information requests and other Bureau contacts. Our services include:
- Attending on criminal and civil searches.
- Advice in relation to criminal and civil investigations and inquiries.
- Advice and assistance in relation to compulsory production orders.
- Advice and assistance with Competition Bureau investigations.
- Advice in relation to the Bureau’s immunity and leniency programs.
- Search and seizure guidelines.
COMPETITION LAW COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS
We offer a full range of competition law compliance services and have prepared a wide range of compliance programs and policies for clients across Canada in many industries. Recent projects include designing a national competition law compliance course (and compliance book – Competition Law & REALTORS) for organized real estate in Canada (a joint ACRE/CREA initiative) and compliance work for a number of major Canadian trade associations. Our services include:
- Competition law compliance programs.
- Competition law seminars for companies and trade associations.
- Corporate and trade association activities for competition law compliance.
- Competition law talks and “lunch and learns” for companies and law firms.
- Guidelines for board meetings, conferences and other meetings.
For more see: Competition Law Compliance Programs and Policies.
COMPETITION LAW LITIGATION
Our competition law litigation services include advice in relation to:
- Civil and criminal competition law litigation.
- Private actions and “private access” proceedings.
- Competition Bureau investigations and inquiries.
- Compulsory and voluntary information requests.
- Strategic advice in relation to marketplace issues and competitors.
- Remedies for refusals to deal.
- Criminal and civil searches.
COMPETITION LAW SEARCHES
We offer competition law services in relation to criminal and civil Competition Act searches, informal and formal Competition Bureau investigations and voluntary and compulsory information requests. Our services include:
- Advice in relation to competition law searches.
- Advice in relation to compulsory production orders.
- Search and seizure guidelines.
- Document retention policies.
CONSPIRACY AND COMPETITOR COLLABORATIONS
We offer a range of services in relation to the conspiracy provisions of the Competition Act and competitor collaborations, including advice in relation to trade association activities, joint ventures and strategic alliances, joint negotiations, joint marketing, joint buying, research and development and other competitor-competitor collaborations. Our services include:
- Application of the new criminal conspiracy rules to commercial activities.
- Application of the new civil agreements provision.
- Structuring agreements and joint ventures to comply with the Competition Act.
- Competition law compliance programs for companies and trade associations.
- The conduct of meetings and information exchanges.
- Application of the Competition Bureau’s immunity and leniency programs.
- Applications for binding Competition Act advisory opinions.
For more see: Conspiracy and Competitor Collaborations.
INVESTMENT CANADA ACT
We offer a full range of Investment Canada Act advice and services, including in relation to Investment Canada Act applications and notifications, advice regarding foreign investment regulations in Canada, application of the new national security review regime and restrictions on investments by state-owned enterprises (“SOEs”). Our services include:
- Advice on the application of the Investment Canada Act.
- Investment Canada Act applications and notifications.
- Canada’s new national security review regime.
- Restrictions on investments by SOEs.
- Advice on Canada’s merger control regime.
- Merger control notifications and filings.
MERGER CONTROL
We offer a full range of Canadian merger control and foreign investment law services to acquirers, targets and corporate/commercial and securities counsel, including advice as to whether a transaction is notifiable, whether a non-notifiable transaction may potentially raise competition law issues, strategic advice in relation to notification and the negotiation of remedies and assistance preparing pre-merger notification filings and transaction documents. Our services include:
- Application of the Competition Act to mergers.
- Application of the Investment Canada Act to Canadian investment.
- Pre-merger notification and Investment Canada Act filings.
- Competition law submissions to the Competition Bureau.
- Competition law provisions in transaction documents.
- Pre-merger conduct memoranda.
- Coordination of multi-jurisdictional mergers.
For more see: Canadian Merger Control.
PROMOTIONAL CONTESTS
We offer a full range of promotional contest law services and have assisted clients to design and run many promotional contests, including assistance with the preparation of short rules, long rules, statutory disclosure, winner release documentation and print and online marketing in compliance with the Competition Act and federal Criminal Code. Our services include:
- Application of the Competition Act and Criminal Code to promotional contests.
- Drafting short and long contest rules and statutory disclosure.
- Reviewing promotional contest marketing and advertising materials.
- Drafting winner release documentation.
- Compliance with the misleading advertising provisions of the Competition Act.
For more see: Promotional Contests.
TRADE ASSOCIATIONS
We offer a full range of competition law and compliance services for Canadian trade and professional associations in relation to all aspects of association activities including board and membership meetings, rules and by-laws, voluntary codes of conduct, compliance programs and policies, special projects and assistance in the event of a competition law investigation or search. Our services include:
- Trade association competition law compliance programs.
- Competition law compliance seminars and talks for association executives.
- Audits and compliance reviews of trade association activities.
- Advice on the application of the amended Competition Act.
- Vetting trade association meetings, conventions and communications.
- Reviewing association rules, bylaws, policies and voluntary codes.
- General competition law and competition compliance advice.
For more see: Canadian competition law and trade associations.
CANADIAN COMPETITION LAW LINKS
For more information about Canadian competition law or our competition law services visit our: Abuse of Dominance, Advertising and Marketing Law, Bid Rigging, Canadian Competition Law, Canadian Competition Law Compliance, Canadian Competition Law Home, Competition Act Amendments, Competition Bureau Investigations, Competition Law Courses and Conferences, Competition Law Litigation, Competition Law Publications, Competition Law Resources, Competition Law Services, Conferences, Conspiracy and Competitor Collaborations, Conspiracy – FAQs, Global Competition / Antitrust Law Resources, Global Competition Law Updates, Investment Canada Act, Merger Control, Merger Control FAQs, Private Actions, Promotional Contests, Publications, Refusal to Deal, Team, Trade Associations or Trade Association Cases pages or visit our website at www.NortonStewart.com.
CONTACT US
We provide Canadian competition law and consulting services to Canadian and international clients. For more information about our services contact us at steve@nortonstewart.com, info@competitionlawcanada.com or call us on +1 604 687 0555 or +1 778 867 5558. Visit us on the web in Toronto at www.torontocompetitionlawyer.com or www.torontocompetitionlaw.com.