Canada's Competition Bureau—the Canadian equivalent of the Federal Trade Commission—has opened an investigation into whether the Quebec Professional Association for Real Estate Brokers (QPAREB) and its Societe Centris subsidiary have engaged in anti-competitive practices that have stifled the development of online brokerage services in Canada.

The investigation is focused on the data-sharing restrictions allegedly imposed by Societe Centris on its Centris.ca listing platform, which brands itself "the most visited real estate website in Quebec."

The Competition Bureau obtained a Federal Court order last week requiring QPAREB to provide the regulators with documents related to the confidentiality of data held by the Centris platform, according to a report in the Toronto Star.

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