First of all, to some extent there are two views of the role of the Competition Bureau and the competition commissioner.
One is that the competition commissioner is a cop. The cop goes out, investigates whatever the offence is, and brings it to either the applicable court or the Competition Tribunal.
The other view is that the competition commissioner is more than simply a cop; he or she is an advocate for competition and must promote it in the industries. The Competition Act, for example, gives the commissioner the power to attend before regulatory boards to urge the adoption of competition. In fact, he or she is in many respects an independent observer and advocate on behalf of competition. That's what market studies speak to.
I was reading the transcript of a debate in the previous session. I think the focus on cartel behaviour, price-fixing, and other hard-core offences is a little bit misleading in relation to what is contemplated here. What is contemplated here are industry-wide studies that look across the board at what may be barriers to competition.
Most barriers may not necessarily be with business. They may be with government, unions, or interprovincial relationships. There could be a whole variety of things that may be obstructing competition.
When you want this study done, presumably you want it done by the agency that has the most experience in the area, which is the idea behind market studies. It is to provide the kind of tool that enables policy changes or reform to take place, or to assure the public that the state of the competitive markets is appropriate.