Canada's Competition Bureau Raises Merger Review Fee by 1.7%

Event summary

  • The Competition Bureau's merger review filing fee will increase from $88,690.45 to $90,198.19 on April 1, 2026.
  • The adjustment follows the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) framework under the Service Fees Act.
  • Filing fees support the Bureau's merger review mandate and service standards.
  • The fee applies to pre-merger notifications and Advance Ruling Certificate requests.

The big picture

The fee adjustment reflects broader trends in regulatory cost inflation, aligning with the Service Fees Act's CPI-based framework. While the increase is modest, it signals rising compliance costs for Canadian M&A transactions, potentially influencing deal structuring and timing. The Bureau's mandate to protect competition remains unchanged, but the financial barrier to merger reviews has subtly increased.

What we're watching

Regulatory Costs
How the fee increase will impact M&A activity volumes in Canada.
Compliance Burden
Whether smaller firms will face disproportionate challenges due to the higher fee.
Annual Adjustments
The pace at which future CPI-based fee increases may accelerate.