Industry committee  First and foremost we're going to conduct a thorough review. We're going to look at all aspects of the transaction, particularly all areas where the parties overlap horizontally or vertically, and dedicate the necessary resources to analyze them. If necessary, we'll bring in outside experts to conduct economic modelling and that sort of thing.

Industry committee  It will be done as expeditiously as possible, if that's an approximation.

Industry committee  Yes. What I can say is that it's not appropriate for us to comment on how this particular investigation might unfold. I think it might be useful for you, sir, if we shed a bit of light on how we went about our submission to the CRTC in that wireless proceeding. Once again, we can say only a limited amount on that because it is still before our colleagues at the CRTC, but my colleague Ms.

Industry committee  In 15 seconds, given the chair's yellow card, I can say that essentially in all merger reviews, if we come to a conclusion that there is a substantial lessening or prevention of competition, we engage with the parties to see if we can negotiate an acceptable settlement to address the competition concerns to protect Canadians.

Industry committee  Oh boy—there's the red card. I don't know offhand.

Industry committee  I'll field that question from Mr. Poilievre. We've actually done a tremendous amount of work in this area advocating for regulatory reform in Canada to allow for more competition. We put out a competition assessment tool kit that we encourage all levels of government, as you said, sir, to use to examine their regulations with a view to reducing or eliminating regulations that impede competition, because this can open up our economy, drive productivity and drive growth.

Industry committee  It made significant changes and drove significant increases in their GDP.

Industry committee  What I can say is that we have put out a competition assessment tool kit. We encourage governments at all levels to embrace it and review their regulations with a view to taking away regulations that unnecessarily.... There are other public policy concerns at play, but if a regulation is not necessary and it impedes competition, then amend it or take it out and allow competition to flourish in Canada.

Industry committee  I'm happy to provide that explanation. We're tasked with, as I've said repeatedly, assessing the merger to determine whether it's going to result in a substantial lessening or prevention of competition. Generally speaking, that involves looking at a whole bunch of issues in some cases; talking to all sorts of industry participants, customers and consumers; and retaining experts.

Industry committee  It is always a tricky exercise to prioritize and reallocate internally. Sometimes we have to leave certain important aspects of our work and they will not be as advanced. Specifically, sometimes we have to pull back on some of the important competition advice we provide to regulators and governments at all levels in order to put resources towards enforcement work and to reallocate in other ways.

Industry committee  Madam Chair, what I can tell the honourable member is that this particular provision of the Competition Act has been the subject of significant debate since it came into place in 1986. It's controversial both inside and outside Canada. Certainly from the perspective of the person who administers and enforces the act, I think it would be worthwhile in this country to discuss this particular section of it.

Industry committee  As I've said before this committee and publicly multiple times, it's clear that our agency's resources are stretched. The demands on our limited resources have significantly increased in just the last few years with the digital economy growing by leaps and bounds, the data-driven economy.

Industry committee  Madam Chair, the efficiencies exception is set out in section 96 of the Competition Act. It's available for use on any merger in Canada, and effectively it says that where efficiency gains are likely to be brought about by the merger and are greater than and offset the anti-competitive effects, that will carry the day, and even if there is a finding of substantial lessening and prevention of competition, the merger will be allowed to proceed.

Industry committee  Thanks for that question. It's a good one. After conducting a thorough review, and if we make a determination that the merger will likely result in a substantial lessening or prevention of competition, that determination in any merger review could apply to the whole transaction or could apply to part of the transaction.

Industry committee  The provision with respect to mergers is something that certainly the bureau works with and we have the tools to review.