Articles

The University of Ottawa's Refugee Sponsorship Support Program is looking for additional local lawyers to provide pro bono support to refugee sponsor groups navigating the refugee sponsorship process. Pro bono lawyers will be provided with expert-led training on the Canadian private refugee sponsorship process as well as ongoing resources such as a refugee sponsorship lawyer manual and access to an online expert forum. This article provides details about the program and how to get involved.

In July 2015, Canada imposed anti-dumping and countervailing measures on future imports of Chinese solar panels because of a threat of injury to Canadian producers. Ironically, a WTO panel recently found that solar panel producers in Ontario benefitted from unfair trade practices under Ontario's Feed-In-Tariff Program. In the high stakes trade war over alternative energy production sourcing, stakeholders have sought to take advantage of various trade remedy levers available to them.

On October 22nd, 2015, the OBA International Law section hosted a program featuring remarks from Member Jean Bédard of the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) and Ben Mills, senior partner at Conlin Bedard LLP, and moderated by Michael Solursh, Counsel for the Legal Services Branch of the Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade of Ontario. This article provides a summary of some of the key points discussed at this session.

Canadians have expressed a revitalized interest in the plight of refugees in recent weeks, precipitated by tragic photos depicting the Kurdi family's attempted escape from Syria. However, there is only some discussion of challenges that refugees face after they arrive in Canada. One of these challenges is access to health care. This issue was addressed recently by the Federal Court, which applied international legal principles in tackling a constitutional question.

"I want to give you a potato." When I saw the message, my eyes started to tear up because I knew that giving me a bowl of cooked cassava was their way of showing gratitude for all the help I had given them and their restaurant business. As lawyers, we have been trained to think critically and ask questions. Unfortunately, these are not components that have been present in public education in Tanzania. But there are ways we can help.

Trade negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (“TPP”) have become a hot topic in the Canadian federal election campaign both for the agreement's significance and timing. This article provides a summary of what each of the four main Canadian political parties has said publicly about the TPP.

Kimberley Byers and Sophie Chiasson provide an overview of the Supreme Court of Canada's recent jurisdictional decision in Chevron Corporation v Yaiguaje (2015 SCC 42) and the implications of the decision for human rights and access to justice.

On May 5th, 2015, the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) International Law Section (ILS) held a program entitled "Key Developments in International Investment Law and Investor-State Arbitration". This article provides a summary of the presentations and the key points of discussion.

Canada is participating in talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), one of the most ambitious trade and investment initiatives ever negotiated in the Asia-Pacific region. The twelve participating states represent a collective market of 792 million people and a combined GDP of $28.1 trillion (nearly 40 percent of the world economy). This article summarizes the potential implications of this agreement on Canadian businesses.

In March 2015, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice denied a claim of sovereign immunity by the King of Swaziland in relation to an interlocutory injunction to impound the King's luxury jet at a hangar in Huron Park over a matter of a $3.5 million debt. This article by Christopher Kalantzis summarizes this idiosyncratic case that brought international law and royal intrigue to small town Ontario.