Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird speaks to the media in Ottawa at Parliament Hill Feb. 5, 2013. (Andre Forget/QMI Agency)

The Conservative government is amending its anti-corruption legislation to make it harder for Canadian businesses to misbehave overseas.

On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced the government is seeking to toughen the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act.

"Canadian companies can compete with the best and they can win fairly," he said.

The legislation makes it a crime in Canada for Canadian companies or citizens to bribe foreign public figures to gain an advantage in business.

The proposed amendments, introduced in the Senate, would make it easier to prosecute Canadian companies for bribery overseas and allow the RCMP to lay charges under the Act.