Section 70 — Competition Act: Admissibility of statistics

A collection, compilation, analysis, abstract or other record or report of statistical information prepared or published under the authority of the Statistics Act , or any other enactment of Parliament or of the legislature of a province, is admissible in evidence in any proceedings before the Tribunal or in any prosecution or proceedings before a court under or pursuant to this Act. On request from the Minister or the Commissioner the Chief Statistician of Canada or an officer of any department or agency of the Government of Canada the functions of which include the gathering of statistics shall, and an officer of any department or agency of the government of a province the functions of which include the gathering of statistics may, compile from his or its records a statement of statistics relating to any industry or sector thereof, in accordance with the terms of the request, and any such statement is admissible in evidence in any proceedings before the Tribunal or in any prosecution or proceedings before a court under or pursuant to this Act. Nothing in this section compels or authorizes the Chief Statistician of Canada or any officer of a department or agency of the Government of Canada to disclose any particulars relating to an individual or business in a manner that is prohibited by any provision of an enactment of Parliament or of a provincial legislature designed for the protection of those particulars. In any proceedings before the Tribunal, or in any prosecution or proceedings before a court under or pursuant to this Act, a certificate purporting to be signed by the Chief Statistician of Canada or the officer of the department or agency of the Government of Canada or of a province under whose supervision a record, report or statement of statistics referred to in this section was prepared, setting out that the record, report or statement of statistics attached thereto was prepared under his supervision, is evidence of the facts alleged therein without proof of the signature or official character of the person by whom it purports to be signed.