New era at Mergers Branch of the Competition Bureau
Building on extensive institutional leadership and expertise, three important positions have recently been filled in the Mergers Branch of the Competition Bureau. Leading the Mergers Branch, Paul Collins has recently been appointed Senior Deputy Commissioner of Competition, Mergers. Mr. Collins has extensive experience from his many years as a highly regarded competition law advisor in the competition bar in Toronto. Mr. Collins is second-in-command at the Bureau, reporting directly to the Commissioner of Competition, Melanie Aitken.
The Mergers Branch includes three divisions and the Merger Notification Unit, the heads of which report to Mr. Collins. Ann Wallwork has been Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Competition for Division A for a number of years, and also assumed the role of Acting Senior Deputy Commissioner of Mergers between December 2009 and May 2010.
Martine Dagenais has recently been appointed Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Competition for Division B. Ms. Dagenais has fourteen years of experience at the Competition Bureau, having served previously as Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Competition in the Bureau’s Civil Matters Branch.
Vicky Eatrides has recently been appointed as Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Division C. Ms. Eatrides was a lawyer in private practice for a number of years in Ottawa, where she was counsel on a variety of significant competition law matters. Before assuming her current position, she served as Senior Advisor to the Commissioner.
Steve Peters is Major Case Director and Strategic Policy Advisor. In his time at the Bureau, Mr. Peters has worked in several different roles, including Acting Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Competition for Division B.
The three Mergers Branch divisions currently include a total of 38 officers, from whom teams are formed to review mergers to determine whether intervention is required to protect competition. The Branch’s officers are supported by 13 administrative and support staff, as well as economists in the Bureau’s Economic Policy and Enforcement Branch.
The Merger Notification Unit (“MNU”), which receives merger filings and requests for advance ruling certificates, has been headed for many years by Daniel Campagna, the Chief of the MNU. Mr. Campagna has extensive experience with merger notification issues under Part IX of the Competition Act, and with assisting parties in complying with merger filing requirements.
Collectively, the Mergers Branch deputies and officers have vast industry and analytical experience in examining mergers that may have a market impact in Canada. As it enters a new leadership era, the Mergers Branch is well-placed to continue to build upon its legacy of strong and balanced enforcement of the merger provisions of the Competition Act.
