On this episode of The Global Exchange is a panel discussion from our 2022 Annual State of Trade Conference: Doing Trade in Disrupted Times. Sharon Singh, John Weekes, Meredith Lilly, and John Boscariol talk about environment, society, and governance provisions and their inclusion in global trade.

This conference was made possible thanks to the support of Amazon, the Reisman Chair in International Economic Policy, and UPS Canada

Participants' bios

Sharon Singh is a partner at Bennett Jones. She provides advice on regulatory, governance, environmental, and Aboriginal law to infrastructure, mining, energy, construction, and agribusiness sectors. She is recognized for her proven ability to create collaborative relationships with Indigenous nations, local communities and regulators, and implementing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practises and reporting within organizations

Meredith Lilly is an Associate Professor at Carleton University where she holds the Simon Reisman Chair in International Affairs focused on trade policy. Dr. Lilly is a national award-winning researcher with extensive experience in public policy development and executive branch decision making. She previously served as Foreign Affairs and International Trade Advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and oversaw within the Prime Minister’s Office the conclusion of Canada’s free-trade negotiations with the European Union, South Korea, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership among other files. Her current research is focused on international labour mobility and Canada-US trade relations. She is also a frequent media commentator on North American trade relations and the US Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA).

John Weekes is an expert in international trade policy and trade agreements. He represented Canada in trade negotiations and at various international trade meetings. He was Canada’s ambassador to the WTO from 1995 to 1999. From 1991 to 1994 he served as Canada’s chief negotiator for NAFTA. He was ambassador to GATT during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations. In the 1970s, he participated in the Tokyo Round of GATT negotiations. Most recently he served as a senior business adviser at Bennett Jones LLP from 2010 until his retirement from the firm in December 2021

John W. Boscariol is head of McCarthy Tetrault's International Trade & Investment Law Group and a partner in their Litigation Group. He helps clients understand how international trade agreements and foreign investment laws impact their business. John assists clients through the tangle of regulatory impediments faced by Canadian companies seeking to expand their business globally, and to international businesses entering the Canadian market.

Host Bio

Colin Robertson is a former diplomat, and Vice President of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, https://www.cgai.ca/colin_robertson

Recording Date: 8 Mar 2022.

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Produced by Charlotte Duval-Lantoine. Music credits to Drew Phillips.