The Competition Act is a federal law governing most business conduct in Canada. It contains both criminal and civil provisions aimed at preventing anti-competitive practices in the marketplace. Its purpose is to maintain and encourage competition in Canada in order to:
- promote the efficiency and adaptability of the Canadian economy;
- expand opportunities for Canadian participation in world markets while at the same time recognizing the role of foreign competition in Canada;
- ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises have an equitable opportunity to participate in the Canadian economy;
- provide consumers with competitive prices and product choices.
The Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act is a criminal statute relating to the packaging, labelling, sale, importation and advertising of prepackaged and certain other products.
It requires that prepackaged consumer products bear accurate and meaningful labelling information to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. The Act prohibits false or misleading representations and sets out specifications for mandatory label information such as the product's name, net quantity and dealer identity.
The Textile Labelling Act is a criminal statute relating to the labelling, sale, importation and advertising of consumer textile articles. It requires that textile articles bear accurate and meaningful labelling information to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. The Act prohibits false or misleading representations and sets out specifications for mandatory label information such as the generic name of each fibre present and the dealer's full name and postal address or a CA identification number.
The Precious Metals Marking Act is a criminal statute relating to the marking of articles containing precious metals. It provides for the uniform description and quality markings of articles made with gold, silver, platinum or palladium to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. The Act prohibits the making of false or misleading representations related to precious metal articles. It also requires that dealers who choose to mark their articles with representations related to the previous metal quality, to do so as described by the Act and Regulations.
The Commissioner of Competition is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act (except as it relates to food), the Textile Labelling Act and the Precious Metals Marking Act.