The Competition Bureau of Canada has announced a public consultation inviting Canadians to provide feedback on its proposed Anti-Competitive Conduct and Agreements Enforcement Guidelines. This initiative comes in light of substantial amendments to the Competition Act made between 2022 and 2025.

The proposed guidelines aim to consolidate and expand upon previous guidance, offering a comprehensive framework for enforcing specific sections of the Competition Act that pertain to anti-competitive conduct and agreements. Detailed information regarding these guidelines is accessible on the Bureau's official website.

Interested parties can submit their feedback until January 29, 2026, via email. The Bureau will publish all submissions on its website unless confidentiality is requested. After the consultation period, final guidelines will be released.

The guidelines specifically address how the Bureau enforces sections 75 to 79 and 90.1 of the Competition Act, which focus on anti-competitive conduct and agreements. The need for these new guidelines was identified following significant changes to the Competition Act, including a restructuring of the legal test for abuse of dominant position and an expansion of what constitutes anti-competitive conduct.

Additionally, the guidelines will replace previous documents, including the Abuse of Dominance Enforcement Guidelines and relevant sections of the Competitor Collaboration Guidelines. The Bureau emphasizes that these updates are crucial for helping businesses comply with the law and promoting fair competition in the Canadian market.