Canada Bread Company Limited pleaded guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act.
The offences involved agreements with Weston Food Canada Inc. to increase wholesale fresh commercial bread prices, impacting millions of consumers.
The court accepted a joint submission for a total fine of $50 million, allocated across the four counts.
The decision considered aggravating factors such as high planning and coordination, and mitigating factors including the company's cooperation with the Competition Bureau, change in ownership, and implementation of a compliance program.
The court emphasized denunciation and deterrence as primary sentencing objectives, ensuring the fine was significant enough to eliminate profit and not merely a "cost of doing business."
