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About the Event

Since the election of President Trump in the United States, there has been much alarm in the press and speculation among the international business community about potentially disastrous implications of the new US administration policies on trade and investment flows. The Trump Administration has proposed a border adjustment tax (BAT) that favors exports over imports, which is in contrary to international trading rules of WTO as well as under NAFTA.

Geoff Kubrick, Co-Chair of the International Trade Practice Group at McMillan LLP, is one of Canada’s leading practitioners in trade law for his long-standing trade remedies practice. He has assisted international companies with anti-corruption, customs, free-trade and WTO matters, including providing advice on the status of the Canada-China free trade negotiations. He has appeared in more than one hundred trade-related cases before the Canadian courts and tribunals.

Geoff will discuss the implications of the proposed BAT and other trade-related policies to companies that trade with the United States as well as the applicability of the WTO to such trade concerns and how this could affect NAFTA and other trading relationships.

About the Speaker

Geoffrey C. Kubrick
Partner and Co-Chair, International Trade Group Ottawa,
McMillan

Geoffrey Kubrick is a partner in the International Trade Law Group in the firm's Ottawa office. Geoff is one of Canada's leading practitioners in the field of international trade law, and has appeared in more than one hundred trade-related cases before the Canadian courts and tribunals. Combining his economic and legal experience in the area of international trade, particularly in anti-dumping and countervail investigations, Geoff undertakes detailed analysis of source data, prosecutes appeals against decisions of the Canada Border Services Agency ("CBSA"), and provides related opinions and submissions.

Before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal ("CITT"), he has frequently represented foreign exporters/ importers and Canadian producers in customs appeals, injury inquiries and reviews. He has also been involved in a number of leading trade cases in litigation before the Federal Court of Canada and Supreme Court of Canada. Geoff has frequently appeared as counsel before NAFTA Binational Dispute Resolution Panels, as well as panels under the earlier Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement. He acted as assistant to the NAFTA Binational Dispute Resolution Panel in one of the first cases heard in the United States under the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement. In addition, he advises clients on provisions of the WTO, CETA and NAFTA, as well as on bilateral trade agreements.

In commercial law, he has been involved in the drafting and negotiation of international technology licensing agreements, for products as diverse as radio-isotopes and computer software, and he advises clients regularly in other matters pertaining to corporate law. Geoff has acted as a Consultant for the Consumers Association of Canada. He advised on economic issues during negotiation of the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement. He has also acted as an Economist for Statistics Canada, focusing on data collection and analysis and the development of computer systems.