IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING | DECEMBER 11 | 5PM EST | MEMBERS AND GUESTS | OTTAWA

Canada-China trade continues to be impacted by geopolitical events, including the recent re-election of Donald Trump to the US presidency. Electric Vehicles (EVs) have also recently become a key issue in China’s trading relationships with the rest of the world, inviting a range of reactions, including the Canadian government’s decision to impose a 100 per cent surtax on all Chinese-made EVs, effective October 1, 2024, in contrast to the European Union’s tariffs on Chinese-built EVs upwards to 45.3 per cent. The imposition of the tariffs will have widespread consequences on the bilateral relationship, but are also expected to impact industry and consumers, including the increase in cost of EVs in Canada in the short term, and economic retaliation on other sectors of the Canadian economy.

This roundtable will feature discussants William Pellerin, Partner, International Trade, McMillan, and Professor Wolfgang Alschner, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa.

We are thankful for McMillan in their support in hosting this roundtable.

REGISTER HERE TO JOIN THIS IN-PERSON SESSION.

About the speakers

William Pellerin is a partner in the international trade group. He has extensive experience litigating and advising on international trade law matters and disputes and is one of the very few private practice lawyers in Canada to have argued before the WTO Appellate Body and dispute settlement panels. William litigates trade remedy matters regularly; he has successfully acted as counsel before the CITT and CBSA in numerous trade remedy proceedings. William also advises clients with respect to customs compliance, export controls and economic sanctions and has a thorough understanding of international trade policy and government processes. William is also co-lead of McMillan’s Sanctions Specialty niche. He advises numerous Fortune 500 companies on complex sanctions and export control matters. He is a sought-after commentator and speaker on trade and sanctions matters, and as such is frequently interviewed and cited by Canada’s leading media outlets. As former Deputy Director, Trade Remedies and North America Trade with Global Affairs Canada, William oversaw international trade disputes and appeals and coordinated Canada’s response to such actions. In his prior role as counsel to the Government of Canada’s Trade Law Bureau, William represented Canada in its challenge to the United States Department of Commerce’s imposition of countervailing duties on softwood lumber products from Canada. He also appeared and successfully argued for Canada before the Appellate Body in 2019.

Professor Wolfgang Alschner is an empirical legal scholar specialized in international economic law and the computational analysis of law. He holds the Hyman Soloway Chair in Business and Trade Law. His new book, Investment Arbitration and State-Driven Reform: New Treaties, Old Outcomes, recently published with Oxford University Press (2022), explores how a new generation of international investment treaties has been rolled back in investment arbitration practice. Professor Alschner is an Associate Professor at the Common Law Section with cross-appointment to the Faculty of Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He is also a faculty member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society at the University of Ottawa and heads the uOttawa Legal Technology Lab. Professor Alschner’s teaching materials on computational legal analysis are available on www.datascienceforlawyers.org Among his other roles and affiliations, Professor Alschner acts as a co-editor of the World Trade Review, a member of the editorial board of the Journal of International Economic Law (JIEL), and a member of the Academic Council of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA). He also co-founded the investment treaty analytics portal www.mappinginvestmenttreaties.com and the Electronic Database of Investment Treaties (EDIT). Professor Alschner holds a PhD in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, a Master of Law from Stanford Law School, a Master in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute as well as an LLB from the University of London and a BA in International Relations from the University of Dresden, Germany.

Location: World Exchange Plaza, Suite 2000 45 O’Connor Street, Ottawa

The roundtable will be preceded by a networking social and will include complimentary canapés, refreshments and networking opportunities with other members, guests and discussants.