Building an Economy that Can Bounce Forward

Remarks by Jeanne Pratt, Interim Commissioner of CompetitionCanadian Bar Association Competition Law Fall Conference: Competition and Foreign Investment Law for a Resilient Canada

Remarks by Jeanne Pratt, Interim Commissioner of Competition

Canadian Bar Association Competition Law Fall Conference: Competition and Foreign Investment Law for a Resilient Canada

Thank you for the invitation to join you today. 

The theme of this year's conference, Competition and Foreign Investment Law for a Resilient Canada, could hardly be more timely.

All Canadians know that Canada is confronting a period of significant economic and geopolitical uncertainty.

Governments, businesses and Canadians are asking fundamental questions about our economic resilience and security, about investment and capital formation, about supply chains and strategic dependencies, about productivity, technological change, and the ability of Canadian businesses to compete internationally.

These questions go directly to the kind of economy Canada will have in the years ahead.

During my ten months as Interim Commissioner, I have seen the Bureau and Competition Bureau Legal Services team navigate a period of significant change with remarkable agility. We have been “keeping our foot on the gas” —  putting amended provisions to work, advocating to shape pro-competitive outcomes, embracing new, faster and innovative ways of doing our work, and adapting to the challenges that the current economic context presents — all so that we can meet growing expectations and deliver results in sectors that matter the most to Canadians and the future of Canada’s economy. I have been continually impressed by the dedication and creativity everyone has brought to that challenge and I am very proud of the results that we have achieved.