An Act to amend the Competition Act

Bill S-239 in 45-1 (distinct from 44-1 Bill S-239 on the criminal interest rate) was a Senate Private Member's Bill amending the Competition Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34) to strengthen federal authority over corporate-concentration enforcement. Brought after the Competition Bureau's June 2023 Retail Grocery Market Study found Loblaw, Sobeys/Empire, and Metro control approximately 60 percent of Canadian grocery sales, and after the 2024 federal amendments to the Competition Act under Bill C-59 (Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act 2023, S.C. 2024, c. 15) raised antitrust enforcement powers. The bill would have expanded the Competition Tribunal's authority to order divestitures, raised maximum administrative monetary penalties from $25 million to $50 million, and added a new merger-review threshold for transactions over $1 billion. Did not pass third reading.