Can a foreign government demand my private business documents if the Canadian authorities already have them?

Under the Competition Act, the fact that you already handed over your sensitive digital files, internal ledgers, and $50,000 contract details to Canadian officials in February 2024 does not automatically block a foreign request. The law states that "any evidence requested by a foreign state under an agreement may be obtained for the purposes of giving effect to the request only in accordance with the agreement and the procedure set out in this Part, even in the case of records or other things already in the possession of the Commissioner" [cite:ca-competition-act-sec30p291]. This means the UK regulatory body's claim to receive copies of your files is legally possible if they are operating under a valid international agreement with Canada. There is an important exception to this rule. The protections and procedures mentioned above "does not apply in respect of any information that has been made public or any information the communication of which was authorized by the person who provided the information" [cite:ca-competition-act-sec30p291]. If you had previously authorized the release of your labour costs or contract details to the public, the specific restrictions regarding these international requests might not apply to that specific information. Whether the UK can actually get your specific pay cheque records and contracts depends on the specific terms of the agreement between Canada and the UK. For Canada to enter such an agreement, the Minister of Justice must ensure that the foreign state's laws are "substantially similar" to Canada's and that the records will be "protected by laws respecting confidentiality that are, in his or her opinion, substantially similar to Canadian laws" [cite:ca-competition-act-sec30p01]. It is currently uncertain if the specific UK regulatory body's request meets all the requirements of the international agreement or if the Minister of Justice has approved this specific request for your files. State, provincial, or local laws may also add further rules regarding privacy and business data; you should check Ontario-specific privacy regulations.