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5. Office of Petroleum Price Information vs. Competition Bureau

5.1 How is the Office of Petroleum Price Information different from the Competition Bureau?

The Office of Petroleum Price Information tracks product prices and offers this information to Canadians. The Office's Web site also acts as a resource centre for tips on saving energy, information on how the energy market works, and links to other energy-based information that Canadian consumers need. It is part of the Government of Canada's overall plan to provide financial assistance to low-income Canadians, help families to lower future heating costs, and enhance market transparency.
 
The Competition Bureau on the other hand acts like a watchdog. It is an independent law enforcement agency that is responsible for enforcing the Competition Act. This Act ensures that consumers are not victims of price fixing or price maintenance and that no one company unfairly dominates a market in such a way as to decrease competition. The Competition Bureau is not a resource centre for information. The Bureau ensures that consumers benefit from competition, product selection and quality service.
 
The Competition Bureau closely follows the wholesale and retail pricing of petroleum products. Its purpose is to ensure that any sudden rise in the price of these products is because of a rise in demand against supply and not due to price fixing or any other non-competitive acts. Therefore, any suspicion of price fixing should be reported to the Competition Bureau and not the Office of Petroleum Price Information.