CBA Competition Law Section – Message from the Chair

  • November 03, 2016

Dear Section Members,

It’s Fall - That Means the Competition Law Bar is Ottawa-Bound!

Rites of autumn include pumpkin spice lattes at five bucks a pop and a new Leafs season with tickets at an average price of over $373 (U.S.) – but surely there can be no better deal than the Annual CBA Competition Law Conference in our nation’s capital. 2016 was no exception, thanks to the leadership of Chair Eric Dufour of Miller Thompson, and the CBA’s own Marianne Pelletier.

Many professional development and networking memories were made. Over 240 attendees experienced:

  • Raising over $11,000 for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute by participating in the annual Bill Miller Charity Golf Tournament. Bill was a former head of the Competition Bureau Legal Services division of the Department of Justice, and a friend to the Section. Players enjoyed gorgeous 21oC temperatures in the fall foliage
  • Working meeting between the Section leadership and our 12 committees, preparing for the 2016-17 CBA year
  • 25 separate CLE, networking and social events over two days of the conference
  • Access to papers prepared for conference CLE presentations and a copy of the latest edition of the Canadian Competition Law Review
  • A service award to Abraham Hollander for his stellar contributions on the Bocking Jury. Our Section’s James H. Bocking Award recognizes excellent scholarly writing on Canadian competition law by a law student or young lawyer
  • Raising over $1,500 in honour of Michael Padbury, a Bureau officer who passed away in August. Thanks to Niki Iatrou of WeirFoulds who lead this initiative
  • Greetings from Bill MacLeod, Chair of the ABA’s Section of Antitrust Law
  • Young Lawyers’ Speed Mentoring Event
  • The Women in Competition Law Networking Lunch
  • A luncheon, featuring a keynote address from Canada’s Commissioner of Competition, John Pecman, on Strengthening Competition: Innovation, Collaboration and Transparency
  • A standing room only dinner, featuring penetrating insights on current events by Chantal Hébert with CBC National and National Affairs Columnist for the Toronto Star

A big thank you to our event sponsors for their unwavering support: Brattle, Analysis Group, Deloitte, CounselQuest, Epiq, Canada Revenue Agency, and Heuristica.

We are often asked: how do you account for the success of your programs?

It begins with committed volunteers, starting with the Section Executive: Anita Banicevic (Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg), Oliver Borgers (McCarthy Tétrault), Huy Do (Fasken Martineau), Navin Joneja (Blakes), and Susan Hutton (Stikeman Elliott). James Musgrove (McMillan) is our liaison from ABA SAL. The team meets monthly to carry out the business of the Section. Section activities early this year include:

  • Submission of comments on Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s Innovation Agenda (see our Submissions page). Thanks to the work of Davit Akman (Borden Ladner Gervais), Chris Hersh (Cassels Brock & Blackwell), and Kevin Wright (DLA Piper).
  • Meeting with the senior management of the Bureau and CBLS in the spirit of collaboration, on October 7, to discuss areas of mutual interest to advance competition law.

So What Have You Done for Me Lately?

The fall conference has come and gone, so what can the Section do for you today? Glad you asked; advance your career by getting involved.

  • Committees: The spirit of volunteering to advance our Section’s goals is promoted through the work of our committees; there is no better route to find opportunities than joining a committee and putting your hand up to help. Workplans have been tabled by all 12 committees, who will offer over 20 CLE events during 2016-17 (free, if you are a CBA member), six meetings with the enforcers, legislative and policy submissions, newsletters, and networking events. Details of upcoming programming can be found on the Section webpage.
  • Write a paper for the Canadian Competition Law Review. You are encouraged to submit academic papers and case comments on topics of interest to Canadian competition and foreign investment review lawyers, at cancomplrev@cba.org. The Bill Miller Memorial Award is presented annually for up to two of the best articles published in the CCLR.
  • Attend the Spring Conference in May 2017, chaired by Niki Iatrou of WeirFoulds, for the latest on CLE programming in the competition law field.

With over a 1,000 members and over 40 events planned in the next year, you are sure to make a connection and invigorate your competition law career by being involved with our Section. See our Section webpage to stay informed about our activities.

Finally, we continue to appreciate the terrific support of the CBA as we march forward in 2016-17, in particular:

  • Norma Pugliese, our Section Liaison Officer
  • Marianne Pelletier, our Professional Development Coordinator
  • Tamra L. Thomson, Director of Legislation and Law Reform
  • Holly Doerksen, the CBA’s Director of Sections

We look forward to seeing you at Competition Law Section events in 2016-17.

Best,
Rod Frank (Rod Frank Consulting)
Chair, CBA National Competition Law Section
2016-17