Jean-Marc Clement Joins Woods, LaFortune LLP as Legal Counsel
We are delighted to announce that Jean-Marc Clément has decided to join Woods, LaFortune LLP as counsel to the firm. After spending close to five years at BCL LLP and more than ten years at PwC, Jean-Marc has decided to partner with us and join our growing trade law team. In welcoming Jean-Marc, we are pleased to add his two plus decades of customs and international trade experience to our trade law practice. Jean-Marc...
read moreNon-Violation Complaints Part III – WTO & “Good Faith”
Our last blog post addressed GATT jurisprudence. We noted concerns about the growth of the non-violation nullification and impairment (“NVNI”) option in dispute settlement which were highlighted in the first WTO case on NVNI – Japan – Measures Affecting Consumer Photographic Film and Paper [WT/DS44]: This suggests that both the GATT contracting parties and WTO Members have approached this remedy with caution and, indeed, have treated it as an exceptional instrument of dispute settlement....
read moreMichael Woods Re-Elected to Board of FITT
On June 25th the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) announced that Michael Woods, founding partner at Woods, LaFortune LLP, has been re-appointed to the Board of Directors for his third consecutive term. FITT is a Canada based not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing international business training, resources and professional certification to individuals and businesses. It offers the only international business training programs and related professional designation (CITP/FIBP) endorsed by the World Trade Centers Association...
read moreA COOL Arbitration Over the Summer
The U.S. is now seeking WTO arbitration in response to Canada’s earlier request for retaliatory trade measures in the country-of-origin labelling (COOL) dispute. The retaliatory tariffs sought by Canada are estimated to amount to just over CAD $3 billion. The WTO, which was set to examine the approval of the proposed retaliatory tariff amounts by Canada this week must now wait for the completion of the arbitration process to deal with Canada’s retaliation request. ...
read moreUpdate on COOL – US Moving to Avoid Retaliatory Tariffs
In response to the WTO’s latest ruling on COOL, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed legislation (H.R. 3293), otherwise known as the Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act, to repeal country of origin labeling requirements for pork, beef and chicken with a resounding 300-131 vote. With Canada and Mexico having announced their intentions to implement retaliatory measures against the U.S. amounting to approximately $3.6 billion in annual tariffs on U.S. products including wine,...
read moreMexico v. US over Tuna Dolphin-Safe Labels – Another WTO Appeal
The newest in the ongoing dispute over dolphin-safe labels on tuna cans between Mexico and the U.S. is that the U.S. government has now decided to pursue an appeal of certain parts of the WTO ruling which considers dolphin-safe labelling on tuna cans discriminatory towards Mexican tuna. The impugned U.S. tuna measures were found to be inconsistent with Article 2.1 of the Technical Barriers to Trade (“TBT”) Agreement because they imposed differing certification and...
read moreThe Future of COOL
The WTO Appellate Body issued its final ruling on May 18, 2015 to the effect that COOL, otherwise known as the U.S. mandatory Country of Origin Labeling, is discriminatory against Canadian cattle and hog imports into the U.S. and is a clear violation of the U.S.’ international trade obligations. The Canadian government has sought the WTO’s authority to move to impose retaliatory tariffs on key U.S. exports. According to Canada’s Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz,...
read moreCanada-Hong Kong FIPA Announced
Gregory So, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development recently and his Canadian counterpart, the Honourable Ed Fast (Minister of International Trade in Canada), recently announced the singing of the Canada-Hong Kong Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (otherwise known as a FIPA) during the APEC meeting on May 23, 2015. Canada-HK negotiations for a FIPA have been ongoing since 2014 and Hong Kong is a clear priority market under the Global Markets...
read moreMichael Woods quoted in the Globe and Mail
Michael Woods, Senior Partner at Woods, LaFortune LLP, was recently quoted in the Globe and Mail’s U.S. Accelerates Efforts to Reach TPP Agreement, an article written by Marcel Sangsari. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which includes 12 countries and covers approximately 40% of the global economy, has stirred up a lot of controversy since a draft version of the agreement was leaked to the public. Although negotiations have been slow moving, there may be new-found...
read moreThe Power of Networking: Women in Technology and Defence
Woods, LaFortune LLP is proud to have partnered with Allam Advisory Group in sponsoring the U.S. Commercial Service in Ottawa’s highly anticipated event: The Power of Networking: Women in Technology and Defence, taking place on Wednesday May 6, 2015 from 4:30pm-6:30pm at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. The event will be hosted by Vicki Heyman – philanthropist, ideas enthusiast, fundraiser and community advocate and the wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Canada – and...
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