Mr. Speaker, I am happy to address the final grouping of Motions Nos. 9, 10 and 11. When looking at Group No. 4 amendments I would like to address the motions independently.
As many members of the House are aware all complaints that fall under the Competition Act are investigated by the commissioner and where deemed appropriate are then placed before the tribunal. Motion Nos. 9 and 10 would allow a single private individual over the age of 18 years to bring a case to the commissioner for investigation. The current procedure, however, is to insist that at least six individuals submit a complaint. This is a mechanism intended to help ensure against frivolous and vexatious submissions to the commissioner.
If a consumer has a complaint that he or she believes involves a violation of the Competition Act, he or she must find five other individuals who share the opinion that a violation of the Competition Act has occurred. This is not an unreasonable demand to place on the Canadian consumer. In fact by insisting that six individuals be part of the application process to the commissioner, we can work to ensure that Canadian businesses are not subject to a barrage of frivolous complaints. For this reason I would recommend that Motions Nos. 9 and 10 of Group No. 4 be opposed.
Motion No. 11 is one that I strongly considered supporting. I think the intent of the motion was to give Canadians direct access to the tribunal, thereby removing a barrier to communicating the needs of consumers. This motion would allow a single individual to bring a matter directly before the tribunal, removing the direct involvement of the commissioner.
While I would normally support an initiative that would allow citizens direct access to this court, this motion unfortunately maintains the insistence that a single individual can bring a case to the tribunal instead of six individuals currently required.
Competition legislation around the world has achieved mixed results. It is needed to ensure competitive practices. However we must not create legislation that entangles honest entrepreneurs in a regulatory mess. Consumers never benefit from creating a regulatory environment. That drives up the cost of business and places those costs on the consumer.
For the same reasons that I oppose Motions Nos. 9 and 10, I must also oppose Motion No. 11.