Thank you.

Mr. Chair and members of the Committee, thank you for the invitation to appear before you today.

My name is Anthony Durocher and I am Deputy Commissioner of the Competition Promotion Branch at the Competition Bureau. I am joined by my colleague Krista McWhinnie, Deputy Commissioner of the Monopolistic Practices Directorate.

We are here today to support your study on small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs. The Bureau's long-held position is that SMEs are the bedrock of a dynamic and resilient economy. While many SMEs were hit hard by the pandemic, they remain an important engine of inclusive economic growth. They challenge established incumbents, and disrupt entire industries.

The Competition Bureau enforces the Competition Act, which recognizes the vital role of SMEs at the outset in its purpose clause. It states that “maintaining and encouraging competition” is central to ensuring that “small and medium-sized enterprises have an equitable opportunity to participate in the Canadian economy.”

We work hard to support SMEs. For example, we stop any anti-competitive business practices that seek to limit SMEs from challenging bigger players. We require businesses to tell the truth about their products and services, so that consumers aren't misled away from using the products and services of SMEs. We prevent any competitive mergers and punish price-fixing and other forms of collusion to ensure that SMEs can access inputs at competitive prices. We advocate for government rules that ensure a level playing field for SMEs.

To achieve these goals, we need the right tools to address competition issues in a timely and effective manner. The Competition Act amendments set out in the budget implementation act are an important step, but those changes are just the beginning. We are very pleased that the government has committed to consult broadly on the role and functioning of the Competition Act and its enforcement regime. In February of this year, we made a public submission to Senator Wetston's consultation on modernizing the Competition Act. The ideas put forward are based on our experience in administering and enforcing the law across all sectors of the economy.

The bureau remains focused and motivated in its role as Canada's competition authority and looks forward to an ongoing, vigorous and inclusive debate on how best to achieve these goals.

We look forward to your questions.

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