Governmental Affairs & Public Policy

Exceptional knowledge of Canadian government, international affairs, cross-border issues and policy development is a key component of our ability to provide clients with strategic legal and business advice in a business environment that is increasingly complex and international in scope.

Members of our Public Policy Group have been invaluable for their leadership in shaping public policy in Canada, and in developing business responses to those policies.

Key Contacts

Enzo J. Barichello KC
Partner

Edward S. Goldenberg C.M.
Partner

As an exceptional public policy group in a Canadian law firm, we provide clients with integrated policy and legal expertise, and advisory services on domestic and international issues including:

National and global economic developments, and their effect on business in Canada and abroad

Challenges facing the energy sector

Regulatory issues

International trade

Cross-border challenges and opportunities

Challenges resulting from the changing nature of work

Legal and governance advice for boards

Climate change regulation

Competition policy

Indigenous relations and consultations

Justice system reform

Members of the Public Policy Group

Hon. John R. Baird P.C.
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs; former Leader of the Government in the House of Commons; former Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities; former Minister of the Environment; and former President of the Treasury Board

Jane Bird
Director Canada Infrastructure Bank; former project director Canada House renewal project on Trafalgar Square in London, U.K.; former attaché with Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Development; former President and CEO of Columbia Power Corporation; and former CEO of Canada Line Rapid Transit Inc.

Christy Clark
Former Premier of British Columbia

Richard Dion
Former economist for the Bank of Canada, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and Energy, Mines and Resources Canada

David A. Dodge O.C.
Former Governor of the Bank of Canada and Chancellor, Queen's University

Serge Dupont
Former Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs; former Executive Director for Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean in the International Monetary Fund (IMF); former Deputy Minister, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)

Jonathan Fried
Canada’s World Trade Organization (WTO) Ambassador from 2012 to 2017; coordinator for International Economic Relations with Global Affairs Canada from 2017 to 2020; and former personal representative of Canada's Prime Minister for the G20

Edward S. Goldenberg C.M.
Former Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister and Chair, Public Policy Group

Michael Horgan
Former Deputy Minister of Finance; former Deputy Minister of Environment; and former Deputy Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

Valerie Hughes
Former Government of Canada counsel before WTO panels and the organization’s Appellate Body; former adjudicator in WTO disputes; and former Director of the WTO’s Legal Affairs Division (2010-16) and Director of its Appellate Body Secretariat (2001-05)

Mark Jewett KC
Former General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Bank of Canada; former General Counsel, Constitutional and International Law at the Department of Justice; former General Counsel, Department of National Revenue; former Tax Counsel and General Director, Tax Policy & Legislation Branch at the Department of Finance; former Assistant Deputy Minister and Counsel to the Department of Finance; and former Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Public Law with the Department of Justice

Hon. Jason Kenney PC, ECA
Former Premier of Alberta; former Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism; former Minister of Employment and Social Development; former Minister of National Defence; former Chair of the Cabinet Operations Committee; former President of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Hon. John P. Manley P.C., O.C.
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Finance Minister and former Industry Minister, and former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada

Hon. A. Anne McLellan P.C., O.C., A.O.E.
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, former Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, former Minister of Health, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, former Minister of Natural Resources and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians, and former Chair of the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation

Dr. Indira V. Samarasekera PhD, FRSC, FCAE, DSc, O.C.
Former President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Alberta; one of Canada's leading metallurgical engineers.

Stephen P. Sibold KC
Former Chair, Alberta Securities Commission

Lori Sterling
Former Deputy Minister of Labour and Associate Deputy Minister, Employment, Skills Development Canada; former Associate Deputy Minister of Justice for Canada; former Deputy Minister of Indigenous Affairs and former Assistant Deputy Minister for Legal Services in Ontario