Library of Parliament Legislative Summary of Bill C-49: An Act to amend the Competition Act

The Library of Parliament recently published a legislative summary of Bill C-49: An Act to amend the Competition Act (short title: Price Transparency Act):

"Bill C-49: An Act to amend the Competition Act (short title: Price Transparency Act)1 was introduced and given first reading in the House of Commons on 9 December 2014. Fundamentally, the bill aims to end geographic price discrimination, which, according to the government, is one of the key contributors to the Canada–U.S. price gap for consumer goods."

"The bill gives the Commissioner of Competition the authority to investigate alleged cases of price discrimination between the two countries. The Commissioner’s findings, which are to be publicly reported, must include the apparent reasons for price differences and shed light on any unjustified differences (...)"

"Bill C-49 received a mixed response from stakeholders following its introduction and first reading in the House of Commons. According to media reports, the main criticism of the bill is that it will probably not be effective in reducing the consumer goods price gap between Canada and the United States. The C.D. Howe Institute suggested that the bill might even diminish competition in Canada by discouraging foreign companies from doing business in Canada. "

"However, the Retail Council of Canada expressed support for the bill. It believes that some foreign manufacturers sell their products at a higher price to Canadian retailers than to U.S. retailers, simply because they believe that Canadians are willing to pay more for the same product. The council believes that the bill will identify manufacturers who practise geographical price discrimination and allow Canadians to know which ones are treating them fairly."

It is possible to follow the progress of the Bill in Parliament on the LEGISinfo website.