These are exciting times for competition and foreign investment review lawyers. For a vantage point that offers both insights and opportunities to participate in commenting on, and potentially shaping, new laws and policies, our Section has no rival.
I’m delighted and honoured to be Chair of the Section for the next twelve months. I am building on the stellar efforts of my predecessors, including Past Chair Omar Wakil of Torys LLP, who have developed the Section into one of the most active and committed Sections. I also wanted to warmly welcome our newest member of the Executive Committee - Shuli Rodal of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP.
The fall means the start of another year of the Section’s insightful brown bags, roundtables, conferences and podcasts. Get involved through one of the Section committees.
The CBA team is working hard to make this new year memorable, exciting, and educational. Here are more details about key upcoming events and ways to get involved:
Join us at the fall conference – October 20 and 21
Register for the upcoming CBA Competition Law Fall Conference, chaired by Kevin Wright of DLA Piper (Canada) LLP. The annual fall conference will be held in-person in Ottawa at the Chateau Laurier after a two-year virtual hiatus.
The agenda is jam-packed with highly topical panels covering potential changes to the Competition Act, the impact of the rise of national security regimes, the new abuse of dominance provisions, challenges in compliance, high stakes contentious mergers, buy-side agreements (scholars’ panel), hot topics in marketing and advertising, cartel investigation demonstrations and much more. The closing plenary session will feature a series of fast-paced debates amongst members of the competition bar.
Finally, don’t forget to get your ticket to our dinner with keynote speaker at the spectacular National Arts Centre on Thursday, October 20!
Advocacy Highlights
Following the passage of the Competition Act amendments in June, the government indicated there will be a public consultation on the “modernization” of the Competition Act this autumn. Reach out to the relevant Section Committees for an opportunity to contribute your views.
Recent Submissions
Committees and upcoming events
Join the committee listservs to participate in our committees and join us on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date! The committees put together dozens of successful CLE, networking and social events – an easy (and free) way to keep abreast of the latest developments. They also give you an opportunity to contribute to the Section’s commentaries on proposed developments in competition law and foreign investment review.
Mark your calendars and register for these upcoming events:
Counterfactual Podcast
Our Digital Media Committee is eager to elicit ideas for new podcasts and interviewees. The committee launched the Counterfactual Podcast last June and is now primed to embark on its inaugural season of programming! In case you missed it, please tune into our first podcast episode featuring former Competition Commissioners Lawson Hunter and George Addy. Keep an eye out for future episodes, including our next episode which profiles two-time Competition Bureau Chief Economist, Dr. Lilla Csorgo.
Canadian Competition Law Review (CCLR)
CCLR is a great way to get involved or brush up on the latest legal and economic thinking. CCLR is a peer-edited review that is published twice a year by the Section and is available free online. Submit your papers by October 1, 2022 to be included in the next edition.
Awards
Bill Miller Memorial Award
We are pleased to announce that Michael Caldecott is the winner of the 2022 Bill Miller Memorial Award for the article “Paradigm or Paradox: Canada’s Competition Law Regime in the New Age of Populism”. The award is presented annually for up to two of the best articles published in the “Canadian Competition Law Review” during the previous calendar year.
James H. Bocking Memorial Award
We are also pleased to announce that Laura Hamdan is the winner of the 2022 James H. Bocking Memorial Award for her paper, “Algorithmic Collusion: From Smokeroom to Code Lines? How Collusion Can Evolve & Are We Prepared Canada”. The award is presented annually to a law school student or early career lawyer. Laura Hamdan’s essay will also be published in an upcoming edition of the “Canadian Competition Law Review”.
If you missed our spring online symposia, “All About Litigation: Advanced Competition Law Topics”, recordings are now available!
We anticipate a very busy year ahead and I look forward to seeing you all at Section events, especially the upcoming fall conference.
Sandy Walker
Dentons Canada LLP
Chair, CBA Competition Law and Foreign Investment Review Section 2022-23