“A Diplomacy Vacuum Canada Well Positioned to Fill”
Michael Woods was quoted at length in the June 2017 edition of Lexpert Magazine, a leading Canadian business law publication. In the article, A Siren Call among Shrill Notes by Julius Melnitzer, Michael is one of the leading members of Canada’s international trade bar asked to comment on the implications for Canada of the current U.S. Administration’s protectionist moves on trade. He takes a positive view that that “ … the demand for international...
read moreMichael Woods Participates at Inter-Tribal Trade Conference in Oklahoma
Michael Woods participated in the third Inter-Tribal Trade Investment Organization (IITIO) Conference on June 4-6 hosted by the Faculty of Law of the University of Oklahoma in Norman. The conference itself was proceeded by a visit to the Choctaw Nation and Citizen Potawatomi Nation and trade discussions these two Nations as well as the Chickasaw Nation. Michael chaired two panels at the conference – one on “Optimizing Conditions for Tribal Trade” featuring Miles Richardson...
read moreResponding to NAFTA Renegotiation
Many are asking what the Trump Administration’s “America First” position on international trade will mean for Canada, how it will affect NAFTA (the world’s largest bilateral trade relationship) and how they can respond. The United States has indicated that it wants to renegotiate the NAFTA. In May 18, 2017 letters, the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) notified Congress that the Administration intends to use renegotiation to modernize the NAFTA. USTR noted “NAFTA was negotiated 25...
read moreSweeping Changes to Canada’s Food Regulations
It is fair to say that Canada’s food safety programs strive to keep pace with the global food environment, with a view to protect the health of Canadians. For years the federal government has been working on improving standards in food safety while keeping an eye on harmonizing the Canadian system as much as possible with those of its key trading partners. Well, the long-awaited modernization of Canada’s food regulatory landscape is finally coming...
read moreJean-Marc Clément and Michael Woods Speak at ACI Forum on U.S. Export & Re-Export Compliance for Canadian Operations
Jean-Marc Clément and Michael Woods both spoke at the American Conference Institute (ACI) 6th Forum on U.S. Export & Re-Export Compliance for Canadian Operations which was presented in Toronto January 30 to February 1, 2017. Jean-Marc partnered with Pascal Girard, the Director of the Government of Canada’s Controlled Goods Directorate, offering a workshop on obligations under recently revised Controlled Goods Program (CGP). Later during the conference Michael teamed up with Selina Hui-Garreaud, Director, Export Controls, Bombardier, and...
read moreMichael Woods Participates in CIGI Roundtable on International Human Rights & Trade
On January 20th 2017 Michael Woods participated in the Bridging International Human Rights, Trade and Investment Law Roundtable in Ottawa. This by invitation event was organized by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and the Human Rights Research and Education Centre at the University of Ottawa. The roundtable featured experts from government, academia, and private practice. The participants reviewed recent developments in international economic and human rights including the adoption of the UN...
read moreMichael Woods Presents on NAFTA and Aboriginal Law at Global Tribal Trade Conference
Michael Woods participated in two panels discussing NAFTA and Canada’s First Nations U.S. Tribes at the Global Tribal Trade Symposium on November 11 and 12, 2016 at the Faculty of Law, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC. This is part of the International Inter-Tribal Trade and Investment Organization’s on-going series, online at: http://iitio.org/woods-nafta-global-tribal-trade/ Powerpoint slides for these two presentations are embedded below: International Trade Law and Aboriginal-Law (Part 1) from Woods, LaFortune LLP Internation...
read moreMichael Woods Presents at Inter-tribal Trade Conference
Michael Woods will be, participating in the second Inter-Tribal Trade Investment Organization (IITIO) Conference (November 11-12) hosted by the Faculty of Law at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops British Columbia. He will be speaking on a panel chaired Ontario’s Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation on the topic of “Mechanisms for the Implementation of International Trade. Michael will address the implications of Canada’s investment treaties and NAFTA Chapter 11 as recent Federal Court and Supreme...
read moreMichael Woods Lectures on International Business at Algonquin College
Michael Woods has been engaged by the Faculty of Business at Ottawa’s Algonquin College where he teaches the course, Global Business Environment. Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded college with an enrolment of over 60,000. It is a member of Polytechnics Canada and its School of Business has a long tradition of focusing on international business and trade as a major area of study. The course Michael teaches is...
read moreWoods LaFortune Submission in the SIMA Review
The Department of Finance is currently conducting a review of the Special Import Measures Act (“SIMA”), the basis of Canada’s anti-dumping and countervailing duty system, and issued an Invitation to Interested Parties to submit their views on a “focused set of potential changes.” Although the SIMA review is intended to take all stakeholder interests into consideration, the issues raised in the Invitation focus on increased protection for domestic producers. For example, the Department has...
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