Competition Bureau

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Conspiracies

The conspiracy provisions, section 45, 46 and 48 of the Competition Act prohibit agreements between two or more persons to prevent or unduly lessen competition or to unreasonably enhance the price of a product. Agreements between competitors to fix prices, to allocate customers or geographic markets, or to restrict production of a product by setting quotas among competitors or other means are considered to be "hard-core" cartel activities. Anti-competitive agreements harm both consumers and businesses, and enforcing the conspiracy provisions is an important priority for the Bureau. Much of the Bureau's work in this area involves investigating and prosecuting international cartels, a crucial activity for competition agencies around the world.

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In the News:

Competition Bureau investigation leads to over $1.6 million in fines for international nucleotide producers conspiracy

Former UCAR executive pleads guilty to price fixing

Window coverings company pleads guilty to attempting to influence competitor’s prices

Nippon Electrodes fined $225,000 for role in conspiracy

VAW Carbon fined $500,000 for role in international price-fixing conspiracy