Institutional links

• Resources

  • Frequently Asked Questions

• About Us

  • Information Resource Centre
  • CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee

Privacy and Security
Proactive Disclosure

Chairman

The Honourable Konrad W. von Finckenstein, Q.C.

THE HONOURABLE KONRAD W. VON FINCKENSTEIN, Q.C., was appointed as Chairman of the CRTC on January 25, 2007. Over the course of a career in the public service that began in 1973, he has held a number of senior positions and acquired broad experience in the areas of trade, commercial and competition law. Before joining the CRTC, he served as Justice of the Federal Court.

Previously, Mr. von Finckenstein acted as Commissioner of Competition and head of the Competition Bureau of Canada between 1997 and 2003. During his tenure, he led important reviews of proposed mergers between companies, including those in the banking and airline sectors. He also investigated a conspiracy affecting the sale and supply of an additive widely used in the animal feed industry, which resulted in one of the largest fines in Canadian history. Moreover, he led the drive to establish the International Competition Network, the umbrella organization for all competition authorities from around the world, and became its founding chairman, a position he held until his appointment to the Federal Court.

Through his earlier roles as Assistant Deputy Minister and Assistant Attorney General in the Canadian departments of Industry, Justice and External Affairs, he notably oversaw the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), negotiated the dispute settlement mechanism of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, and supervised the drafting and implementation of that agreement. During the 1980s, he served as Senior General Counsel with Industry Canada and the Trade Negotiations Office.

Born in Germany, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Carleton University and Bachelor of Laws from Queen's University. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1984 and received the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Public Service of Canada in 2002.

Mr. von Finckenstein's term ends on January 24, 2012.