NEWS RELEASES
CANADA SIGNS OECD CONVENTION ON COMBATTING BRIBERY
December 18, 1997 No. 214
CANADA SIGNS OECD CONVENTION
ON COMBATTING BRIBERY
Minister of Human Resources Development Pierre S. Pettigrew, on behalf of Foreign
Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy, has signed the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Convention on Combatting Bribery of Foreign
Public Officials in International Business Transactions in Paris. The Convention,
signed December 17, will become legally binding for ratifying countries once it
comes into force, which is expected to happen by the end of 1998.
"Canada has long been a supporter of international efforts to eliminate bribery,"
said Mr. Axworthy. "Canadian corporations neither want nor need to give bribes to
maintain their competitive advantage, but find themselves at a disadvantage when
they compete for international contracts against companies who indulge in bribes.
This Convention makes it illegal to bribe government officials of other
countries."
"I am pleased, indeed honoured, to have been asked to sign the Convention on
behalf of Canada," said Mr. Pettigrew. "I know that Canadians and the Canadian
business community stand to gain from signing this international treaty."
Under the Convention, members of the OECD will impose criminal sanctions,
including fines and imprisonment, when a bribe is offered to foreign public
officials in order to obtain or retain business or other improper advantage.
Negotiation of the OECD Convention began in July, following a decision by member
states at the OECD annual ministerial meeting in May. At that meeting, the
ministers agreed to negotiate the Convention by the end of 1997 and to ratify it
by the end of 1998. They also agreed to introduce the requisite domestic
legislation to implement the Convention in 1998. The negotiations concluded on
November 21.
The 29-member OECD, which includes Canada, the United States, most European
countries, Japan and South Korea, is the major economic policy forum for the
world's most advanced industrialized democracies. The OECD members develop
compatible approaches on a wide range of economic, social and trade issues,
including economic growth, employment, fiscal stability and the expansion of world
trade.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Debora Brown
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
This document is also available on the Department's Internet site:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
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