A March 9th luncheon hosted by the Association of Corporate Counsel - Greater New York, The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel and the New York office of Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP (FMC) featured a presentation on Canada's recent election and the implications of the new government's policies on Canada's trade partners. The luncheon, which was held at the Rainbow Room, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, was organized as part of FMC's commitment to supporting professional growth for corporate counsel and included a panel discussion by FMC attorneys who have held various positions in the Canadian government.
Introduced by David G. Fuller, Chief Executive Officer of FMC, the panel speakers reflected a broad spectrum of Canadian politics. The Hon. Brian V. Tobin, a Senior Business Advisor at FMC's Toronto office, is a former Liberal Member of Parliament and a cabinet minister in the administration of Jean Chretien. From 1996 to 2000 Mr. Tobin was Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Hon. Jean Bazin, Q.C., a partner at the firm's Montreal office, was a member of the Senate of Canada from 1986 to 1989 and served on several Senate standing committees in addition to chairing the Senate's Committee on Foreign Affairs. During 1987-1988 Mr. Bazin was President of the Canadian Bar Association. Cyrus Reporter is a member of the FMC Public Policy Practice Group at the firm's Ottawa office. From 1994 to 2003 he served in a variety of senior positions with the Canadian government, including as Chief of Staff of the Minister of Industry, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General and the Minister of Health. He is currently Secretary Treasurer of the Liberal Party of Canada National Executive. Roxanna Benoit, also a member of the FMC Public Policy Practice Group in Ottawa, has served as Director of Policy for the Office of the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and as the party's National Co-Chair of Policy and Restructuring. She has also served as Executive Director of the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association and as Vice President and Deputy Counsel of the American Corporate Counsel Association.
Among the issues addressed by the speakers were the current opportunities for investment in Canada, with particular reference to energy and telecommunications; the development of clean coal technology in response to the energy security issue; a variety of matters on the Canada-U.S. trade agenda, including softwood lumber; Canada's position on the Kyoto Protocol, and North American security issues.