In fact, Bill C-56 provides that the Competition Bureau may ask a court to make an order to obtain information. In other words, it does not have the autonomous power to compel a witness to give testimony or provide information. We believe that this could cause delays in a market study inquiry, when Bill C‑56 provides for a maximum of 18 months for that type of study.
I would also like to point to what happens elsewhere, outside Canada. For example, the European Commission, which has the power to initiate sectoral inquiries, also has the power to compel witnesses to provide information.
If the Competition Bureau had the ability to compel people to provide information to it, that would enable it to get a more complete picture of the situation when it does a market study and, at the end of the study, to make more useful recommendations.