Michael Woods Attends Round Six of NAFTA Negotiations in Montreal
Participating on behalf of client stakeholders and as a member of part Global Affairs Canada Indigenous Working Group, Michael Woods attended Round Six of the NAFTA negotiation in Montreal January 22-29. During the week in Montreal, Michael had the opportunity to meet and exchange views with Canadian negotiators, the many other stakeholders in attendance, and members of the media [see photo of Michael and Don Newman]. On January 27, Michael attended a Canadian American...
read moreWood, LaFortune LLP in Texas – Houston Strong!
Last month Woods, LaFortune LLP was talking international trade in Texas as Gordon LaFortune and Jean-Marc Clément attended the Advanced Customs Compliance Conference that took place in Houston September 20-22. Jean-Marc, the firm’s Montreal- based counsel, was a speaker and he addressed the audience of over 300 trade compliance professionals on the Canadian perspective on the on-going NAFTA negotiations. Joining him on the panel designed to give the audience views on NAFTA form Canada...
read moreWoods, Lafortune LLP – The Indigenous Chapter – “not like the others”
Invited to join other representatives of the various the stakeholders groups, Michael Woods is spending time at the site of the NAFTA Round 3 negotiations in Ottawa during the week of September 24th. His focus is on the Indigenous Peoples and SME files. The growing interest in Canada’s proposal for an Indigenous Chapter is reflected in recent interviews Michael had with Macleans and the Toronto Star. A member of the executive of the International...
read moreWoods, LaFortune LLP to Attend Round 3 of NAFTA Modernization Talks
With the first two rounds of the NAFTA negotiations completed the next meeting is scheduled for Ottawa starting September 23rd. Michael Woods has been invited to attend as an observer. Global Affairs Canada has undertaken to arrange on-going briefings and meetings upon request with Canada’s NAFTA Chief Negotiator and Deputy Chief Negotiator and subject-matter experts for observers during the round which is scheduled to continue until September 27th...
read moreInside US Trade Interviews Michael Woods on NAFTA and Participation of Indigenous People
Michael Woods and his International Inter-tribal Trade and Investment (IITIO) colleague, Wayne Garnons-Williams were interviewed by a leading American journal, Inside U.S. Trade, on the subject of Indigenous Peoples and their interest and future role in the negotiation of modern trade agreements. Michael spoke to the Nation to Nation aspect of the Government of Canada’s relationship with First Nations and what this meant in the context of the current NAFTA talks. With Canadian negotiators...
read moreMichael Woods participates in NAFTA Roundtable
On August 2, 2017, Michael Woods participated a joint Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAC)/ Centre for International Governance and Innovation (CIGI) Roundtable on the subject of Intellectual Property (IP) rights and upcoming NAFTA re-negotiations. Participants included representation from First Nations, Government of Canada, and others interested in the upcoming NAFTA negotiations. Jim Balsillie, former co-CEO of Research In Motion (RIM) and the founder of CIGI, launched the session with an informal presentation on...
read moreMichael Woods & IITIO Submission on NAFTA Modernization Indigenous Peoples Participation Consistent with Canadian and International Law and Policy
Michael Woods was recognized by his colleagues at the Inter-Tribal Trade Investment Organization (IITIO) for his contribution to the organization’s submission to Global Affairs Canada with respect to the upcoming negotiations with the United States and Mexico on the modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The submission draws on recent decisions by the Supreme Court of Canada and important developments in international law including the adoption of United Nations Declaration on...
read more“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...
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